Far Away
by SureFireWinners
Summary: While searching for their father, the boys run into a friend whom they grew up with, Adriana Tanner. When she becomes involved in the case, with the help of her co-worker, Athena Knox, will the Winchesters save her in time? Will they gain new help in the search for John? Dean/OC Sam/OC
1. A Family Reunion

**This story was published on one of our separate accounts, but since we have a joint account now, we're publishing it here. This is a joint story on our new joint account.**** Or separate accounts are GoddessOfOlympia (previously GreenEyedSparrow) and FantasyDreamer05 (formerly IcyBlueEyes11). Check us out! And let us know what you think of our story. If we have anything wrong with the storyline of the show, like you don't think something should've happened or couldn't have happened in the Supernatural verse please let us know. =]**

**We hope you like our story! Review and let us know!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own the characters of Supernatural or the story. All rights belong to Eric Kripke for the original idea of the show and now to Sera Gamble for keeping it alive. Also to Jeremy Carver for stepping up when Sera Gamble decided her run of the show has finished. Thanks to the producers and writers who have kept the show going. =]**

Athena sighed as she began to wipe down one of the tables in the bar. Tonight was Friday night and she was stuck working when she could be out partying. She cleared off the bottles of beer and the mug, piling them up on the tray before picking it up and carrying it into the back of the building, throwing the bottles away and placing the mugs in the sink.

A breath of frustration pushed past her lips as she walked back out into the front only to see her co-worker, Adriana flirting with guys at the bar. Athena rolled blue-grey eyes. She always ended up picking up Adriana's slack because she was too busy flirting.

She turned her attention towards the door at the sound of it opening and had to stop herself from staring. The two guys that had just walked in were smoking hot.

The taller of the two had shaggy brown hair and hazel-blue eyes. He wore a normal zip-up sweater and loose baggy blue jeans. He was taller than the other by about five inches, but he had a softer look in his eyes and face, making him seem younger.

The shorter one had short dirty blonde hair and striking emerald-green eyes. He wore a leather jacket over a t-shirt and also had baggy dirty blue jeans. He was shorter, but by the way he carried himself, he seemed to be older, and this one was who Athena could not take her eyes off of.

Adriana finally stopped flirting for long enough to turn around and see the two men. Her mouth dropped open, and both of them seemed to recognize her.

"Dean Winchester! And little Sammy! How the hell have you been?" she asked while sauntering over to them. The shorter one smirked. They knew Adriana from a long time ago.

"Not bad Drie, not bad. And yourself?" Adriana shrugged a shoulder.

"So-so. Life goes on. And how about you mister?" she asked Sam, playfully poking him in the chest. Sam smiled at her

"Okay, I guess."

"Are you guys still in the family business?" she asked in a slightly lowered tone.

This caught Athena's attention more than anything. If there was something Adriana wasn't, it was quiet. She wiped down a table a little closer to the two men, her movement's attracting the attention of the shorter one. He looked past Adriana and appraised her while she met his gaze coolly.

"Sure are. In fact," Dean replied, his voice also lowered but his eyes still meeting Athena's. "We're on a case right now," he said, drawing his eyes away from her and winking at Adriana.

"Oh really? Anything too unusual?"

Sam snorted. "Is there anything "usual" in our line of work?" Dean looked up at his younger brother before replying.

"Yes. The hot babes you never let me pick up," he said, giving a subtle head jerk towards Athena, who had since turned away.

Adriana hit his arm playfully. "Focus." She rolled her eyes. If it was one thing she knew about Dean, it was his ability to be distracted by any woman who was tall and curvy.

Adriana's father had been good friends of John Winchester, Dean and Sam's dad. The two had worked together on many cases together, putting Adriana and the Winchester brothers always together. She grew up in the same life they had, but never wanted it.

Her lack of enthusiasm in the hunts was something that her and Sam bonded over. He never wanted to be in this life either. The two had become best friends over the years before he had left and gone off to college, leaving her with her father and Dean who had become like the older brother she never had. A really hot older brother, at that.

She was completely comfortable around both boys. I mean, anyone who had grown up in the lifestyle they had would be comfortable around the people as well.

She had left the Winchesters after her father had been killed on a hunt that had gone wrong. She didn't blame anyone for it, but she saw that as her only way to leave and she took it and never once looked back. Until now.

"I am focused," Dean stated rolling his emerald eyes at her. "I am completely and hundred percent focused." Even as he spoke, his gaze drifted over Adriana's head, her height not making it very difficult, and spotted the girl who had caught his eye earlier.

"You are not focused!" Adriana snapped, rolling her own sapphire eyes. She snapped her fingers in front of Dean's face, almost like pulling him out of a trance. She let out a sigh of annoyance before turning to Sam. "Will you tell him he's not focused?"

Dean scoffed. "Right. He's a bit bias in that case. Of course he'll agree with you." Sam raised his palms helplessly.

"Sorry Adrie. He's right." Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Why "he's right" with surprise in your voice? Of course I'm right, I'm _always_right."

"Or you just like to think you are," Adriana muttered. Dean ignored her and pulled out a chair, putting his feet on the table. Sam pulled out a chair but left his feet on the ground and swept Dean's off.

"Oi!" he said, putting them back on and lifting a finger to Athena. Adriana raised her eyebrows as Athena walked over, swinging her hips at the tops of her long legs.

"You do realise I'm a bartender and I work here as well?" she hissed before Athena arrived. Dean smirked yet again.

"Whatever you say," he replied before facing Athena who was standing above him.

"Hello. I'd like a vodka martini, shaken not stirred." he asked in a really poor British accent. Adriana stood to the side, tapping her foot impatiently. Athena smirked down at this extremely fine male specimen.

"And I'd like you to stop looking at my ass, but that's not going to happen anytime soon is it?".Dean looked slightly guilty, like he was that cat that licked the cream as Sam chuckled silently to himself.

"Fine. A beer?" he asked, returning to his natural accent, his voice now deep and husky. Athena nearly shivered at the sound of it, but nodded. She met Sam's eyes but he shook his head.

"Nothing for me thank you." Dean rolled his eyes. Athena walked over to the bar, ensuring Dean's eyes were still exactly where she wanted them.

"Ever the polite one, aren't you Sammy?" Sam glared at him.

"I told you. It's Sam. No 'Y'" he snapped. Adriana seized yet another chance to tease her best friend.

"Ah but ickle-wickle Sammy looks so cute," she said, playfully pinching his cheek. He blushed and shot an even more ferocious glare at his best friend.

"You know," Sam began, swatting her hand away. "For someone who's both younger and shorter than me, you've got some nerve teasing me about being cute."

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Why must you always bring my height into everything," She stated and Dean started to laugh.

"Because it's funny," He said and she shot him an icy glare, instantly shutting him up.

"For being the older brother, Dean, you're pretty short," She countered.

"Hey, hey. It's not size that matters. When we're talking about height anyway," he said. Adriana snorted, expecting nothing less from him. The clack of high heels against tiles returned as Athena came with Dean's drink.

"Here we are Mr Bond," she said with a flirty wink and a much better British accent. Dean nodded.

"I'll give you that. Why don't you pull up a chair?" Athena ignored Adriana who was shaking her head and looked around the bar. It was relatively empty and she did enough work for two of them anyway. She slid a chair out, angling it so she could see the managers office.

"So, your name's are?" she asked.

"What's it to you" Dean replied, challenging her. Athena sighed.

"It was a simple question. You asked me to sit down with you, so I assumed you wanted to engage in conversation, a civil conversation. Usually civility requires names. I'm Athena," she said. Dean, who had begun to smile at the beginning of her tirade, sat speechless by the end.

Adriana quickly stepped in. "This is Dean and Sam," She said, motioning to each of the boys as she spoke his name. "This is Athena," She added, nodding to the dark-haired girl.

"You two work together?" Dean asked and Adriana rolled her eyes.

"Not at all, Dean," She began, sarcasm clearly present in her words. "We just work in the same place. You're not the brightest one of the two of you," She added. "That's why Sam always did the research."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Why must you always bicker with everything I say?" He questioned the petite blonde but before she could counter back, Athena spoke up.

"Research? Research for what?"

"Our work" Dean replied cryptically and dismissively.

"Figured that much out. What exactly is your work, hmm?" Dean and Sam shared a glance before looking at Adriana.

"We're agents. And we've been sent to investigate the murder of a Shoemaker guy." Sam nodded in the background, looking extremely unconvinced. Athena's expression mirrored Sam's.

"Really? And just where are your credentials" she asked, willing to push them as far as she could. Dean pulled out a badge with practiced ease and flipped it at her. She held it and ran her nail along the edge, smiling to herself.

"Nice try, big boy, but, it's a fake. So either the government has resorted to using laminate to make their badges, which I highly doubt or you two aren't telling the truth." she said, winking. "Not that I care, I'm just curious as to why you would lie to a waitress." Sam sat, stunned, but Dean leaned forward.

"Athena was the Greek Goddess of wisdom, yes? Well, you certainly seem to live up to you name."

Adriana watched the whole exchange with apprehension, knowing her co-worker's tendency to ask questions often got her in trouble. Cocky, curious and attractive was not a good combination and that was exactly what Athena was.

Adriana didn't know what to say in order to hep the situation, so she sat down beside Sam, keeping her mouth shut which was rare for her. She knew that normally whenever she spoke, it just made matters worse for them.

Athena raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "So, care to explain what you're doing here?"

Dean nodded. "Exactly what we said. We're here investigating the murder of Steven Shoemaker," He told the girl.

Athena shook her head. "Why? You're not agents or cops, so why would you two be interested in it?" She questioned, looking between the two boys before turning to Adriana. "Wait." Athena shook her head. "You know some thing's going on with them, right?"

Adriana's eyes went wide. "What?" She questioned, trying to fake innocence. Athena stared her down, not believing her for a second, but living the same life that Dean and Sam had, Adriana had become a professional liar. "They really are FBI agents."

"So what's with the lamination on the badge?" Athena asked, raising an eyebrow and Dean turned to glance at Adriana, waiting to see what lie she would come up with that would save his and Sam's ass yet again.

"The agency ran out of money to get an actual plastic covering, so they resorted to giving the last few laminations until they could purchase the case for it," Adriana stated, not even batting an eyelash at the lie she had created.

"The agency... as in the Federal Bureau Agency of America... _ran out_of money?"

"Yep." Adriana replied, avoiding eye contact with Dean, as she would be sure to burst out with laughter.

"So, how do poorly agents such as yourselves afford a 1967 Chevy Impala?"

"You speak car?" Dean asked, interest entering his voice.

"Yes. I speak car. My father happens to own a 1968 Chevy Camaro SS 39." she replied, seeing right through his topic change but playing along all the same.

Dean nodded.

"Nice make but a little too low for what we use the Impala for." Athena's eyes narrowed.

"Yes. Which you have _still_failed to mention, and I don't believe that "no money" bull shit. So tell me." She stated.

Dean glanced at Adriana to continue on with her lie, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "The car is their own, not the agency. Who wants to waste their money on plastic coverings when you can just laminate it?" She questioned.

Athena raised an eyebrow, not believing her but decided it was best to just drop it. "So, why are you investigating Shoemaker's death?" She asked. "I thought it was natural causes?" She asked.

"Well, that's what we're here to determine," Sam stated, speaking up. "If it turns out to be natural causes, then we get to be on our way back home."

Athena turned and spoke to Sam for the first time. "And where exactly is 'home' for you?" Sam shrugged.

"Here, there, everywhere. Why so curious?" This time Athena shrugged.

"I like to know things." Dean spoke darkly. "I hope you realise curiosity killed the cats." Athena turned on him.

"On the contrary Dean. Ignorance did."

"Touche," he said, watching a cheeky smile play over her face. Adriana, feeling this had gone on long enough, stepped in.

"Well. We best be getting back to work. It was nice to see you," she said, shooting them each a look to let them know she wasn't done with them. Athena reluctantly stood up, stretching her long legs and gave Dean one last, hard long look before returning to the bar.

"Where are you guys staying?" Adriana asked.

"We were gonna stay at a motel down the street," Dean stated, motioning in the direction of where he intended to check out for a motel.

"You guys can stay with me," She said. "I've got an apartment near the college I'm attending. I have a roommate, but she's outta town so there's an open bed and a couch. It'll save you guys money," She told them with a shrug.

"That would truly be a great help Adrie," Dean said and blessed her with a rare full smile. She smiled back and walked over to the bar, just before the manager walked out of her office.

Athena grabbed a glass and pretended to wipe it vigorously, having been eavesdropping on the remnants of their conversation. That girl was just too bloody lucky, Athena thought, first shooting a look at Adriana and then moving her gaze back to Dean. He truly was one of the most attractive guys she'd ever seen and his attitude made him all the more so.

Athena shook her head. Life just wasn't fair. She had spotted the blonde girl around the campus of the university she had attended before Athena had graduated. The blonde had it all and then some. She was a cheerleader in the college and could get whatever guy she wanted. And here she was, with probably two of the hottest males Athena had ever laid eyes on. Life just wasn't fair.

It's not that Athena wasn't pretty, because she was gorgeous. With her dark hair and blue-gray eyes, her long limbs and womanly figure, she made even models look plain. But she wasn't the popular type like Adriana was.

She had more of a blunt personality, a 'take it or leave it' type person, and quite often people left it. She had confidence, a little too much at times, and while she wasn't social, as such, she played around a little, but she never had any regrets. She was also very competitive and she was determined to beat this tiny blonde girl to the older brother. She didn't date so much as commit one night stands, something that looked right up Dean's ally.

Dean stood up, motioning for Sam to do so as well. "You still living in the same place, Drie?" he enquired as he crossed the floor.

Adriana gave a nod and turned back to serving. As Dean passed the bar, he met Athena's eyes. They were very unusual, and that was saying something as he had seen some very weird eyes through his experiences of the supernatural. However, they didn't detract from her beauty, only gave her a more exotic look.

"Perhaps I'll see you around, little Goddess," he said. Athena rolled her eyes in disgust but waved him off as he and Sam turned and started heading towards the doors.

"Dean!" Adriana called out, stopping the pair. He turned around to face her, already having pulled his car keys out of his pocket. Without saying anything else, she tossed him a small key, and he caught it midair. "It's my house key."

Dean smirked at her, tossing it back. "I've got the spare you gave us a while ago."

Adriana looked taken aback. She had given the brothers a spare key to her apartment in case they were ever in town and needed a place to stay, but she had figured they would have lost it with travelling around all the time.

Athena's gray eyes widened in surprise. He had a key to her apartment? Just what kind of relationship did she have with these boys? She decided to grill her after they left. They exited the bar, stares from the various patrons following them. A deep roar of the Impala taking off made Athena smile slightly, before she placed the glass she was cleaning down.

"Adriana. No more lies: who are they, how do you know them and what are they doing here?"

Adriana looked at Athena. "And what makes you think I'll be inclined to answer those questions?" Athena met her eyes.

"If you don't, I'm sure I'll find out some how. I always do." Adriana wrinkled her nose as Athena turned back to the tap.

"I met them through family, they really are Dean and Sam Winchester and as to what they're doing here?" Adriana paused and held her palms out flat, in the universal 'I don't know' symbol.

Athena nodded, slightly surprised she'd gotten an answer out of her. "How old are they?" she queried.

A mischievous smirk played on Adriana's lips as she turned around to face the dark-haired beauty, leaning against the counter behind her and crossing her arms over her chest. "What does it matter to you?" She paused as she rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're interested in one of them? Let me guess, it's Dean, isn't it?"

Athena silently cursed herself for being so obvious but subtlety had never been her strong point, "Wouldn't it always be Dean? Seriously, any place that guy walks into is going to be staring at him within five minutes." she stated.

Adriana knew this was true, having walked into a bar with Dean before, and walked out leaving some blonde bimbo on his lap. "But still. You want him," she replied, indifferently, not letting Athena know where she stood with him, deciding it would be much more fun to see how far the girl would go.

Athena rolled her eyes, trying to hide the blush that had crept up onto her cheeks. "I do not. I simply think he's attractive, is all."

Adriana nodded. "He is attractive," She stated matter-of-factly before turning back around and grabbing a rag out of the sink and walking over to a table to clean.

Athena followed her, grabbing her own rag and cleaning a table near to Adriana. "So, are they single?" She asked, not letting the subject drop.

Adriana shrugged. "They might be, then again I haven't seen them in a while so they might have gotten girlfriends along the way."

Athena nodded. Okay, this was a bit of information. Adriana wasn't dating Dean, but that also didn't mean she wasn't interested in him either. The dark-haired girl inwardly groaned. She was no closer to figuring this out than she had been when she started questioning the blonde.

Meanwhile, Dean and Sam were travelling back to Adriana's place. Sam looked over at his older brother who was driving with a slight smirk on his face.

"What's got you all cheery?" he asked. Dean looked over at him.

"Just happy to see my little sister again. And you are too, don't even try and deny it." Sam lifted his eyebrows.

"I think it's a little more than that."

"Here we ago again with the psychologist act. What is it this time?"

"You like her," Sam replied. Dean drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his beloved car.

"No." he said, drawing out the word. "I don't like anyone," Dean added as he turned the car onto another side road, heading to Adriana's apartment.

Sam shook his head. "Oh come on, that smirk only goes on your face when you see a pretty girl you like," He stated as turned to face his older brother. "And don't try to deny it."

"There are lots of pretty girls in the world, Sammy. Yes, Athena is one, but so is Adriana," he said as he pulled into the driveway.

"Jessica was pretty. Beautiful," Sam said, almost absentmindedly, lost in thought. Dean looked over at him briefly at the mention of his girlfriend's name.

"You still having those dreams?" Sam started to shake his head, but decided there was no fooling Dean.

"Yeah. All the time." he shrugged. "I'll get over it."

Dean sighed. "Sam-" But Sam held up his hand, stopping Dean from lecturing him.

"Just drop it, Dean. It's not gonna help anything if we continually bring it up and talk about it. It doesn't change anything."

"It might help you-"

Sam shook his head again. "Just stop. You're not a psychiatrist, Dean. and I don't wanna tell you 'how something makes me feel'."

Dean nodded and dropped it and decided to change the subject. "It's good to see Adriana again after what? Four years? Five?"

"Actually I think it's been more like six. You're memory is atrocious."

"Hey. My memory is just as fabulous as the rest of me."

"You keep telling yourself that, Dean, and maybe one day you'll believe it. On the other hand, it's you, so maybe not." They pulled into Adriana's driveway.

Dean rolled his eyes as he turned the key, killing the engine of the Impala before pulling it out and slipping the keys into his pocket. "Whatever you say, Sammy." He opened the driver side door and got out of the car with a smirk on his face as he headed for the trunk. He heard Sam's door open before he saw his tall brother over the hood of the car.

"It's 'Sam', Dean. Not Sammy. Once again, Sammy is a chubby twelve year old, to which I am not," He told his brother, annoyance evident in his voice.

"You sure about that? After all, I'm almost certain I got all the looks in the family." he said, propping the trunk open and grabbing out his duffel bag. On a second thought, he chucked a pair of Colt. 45s into it and slammed the boot shut. Sam had already opened the house and Dean trudged in.

"Shot gun the bed" Sam called.

"C'mon Sam. What possible use could _you_have for the bed?"

"Uh, sleeping maybe."

"That's not what I meant. But whatever."

Sam rolled his eyes as he turned around facing his brother and walking backwards towards the room. "The question is, what use do you have for the bed since Adriana's the only girl in this apartment with us?" He questioned then shot his older brother a teasingly look. "Unless you've got something for the younger blonde that you haven't told me about?" His tone was light and teasing.

"Oh yes, most definitely. My love for Adrie knows no limits. It is deep and abounding. What, are you shitting me? Of course I don't have a thing for her. Doesn't mean to say I can't meet someone knew, does it. I'm starting to believe I got the looks and the brains." he said, most of it lying face down on the couch. A noise echoed through the apartment. Dean stayed exactly where he was.

"Please, brother of mine, don't rush up to get it." Sam said as he walked to open the door.

"I won't," replied Dean, muffled by the pillow.

Adriana shook her head as Sam opened the door. "Wow. Can't even let a girl into her own apartment?" She questioned as she pushed past Sam, tossing her car keys and purse onto her counter.

Dean rolled onto his back before sitting up and staring after the blonde. "You have a key," He stated and Adriana shrugged as she grabbed a glass down from her cupboard before filling it with water from the sink.

"So? You guys were inside, and I knew there was no way you guys would be asleep. Assuming you guys were going to open the door, I knocked. How wrong I was." She rolled her eyes before taking a sip of the water.

"So, you and that Athena girl hang out?" Dean asked and Adriana raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's it matter?" She questioned him.

"She's hot, I'm bored and Sam won't let me have fun on any hunts," He stated and Adriana stared at Dean as if he were crazy.

"Do you hear yourself when you talk?" She questioned. "You guys are on a hunt now!" She exclaimed before turning to Sam. "Speaking of which, what's the deal with the Shoemaker guy you two were talking about?"

"Apparently he had a stroke. But no stroke I've ever seen, the victims had liquidated eyes," Dean offered from the couch before Sam could open his mouth. "And exactly. We're on a hunt. Where is the fun just now?"

Adriana stamped her foot in frustration. "You could stop being a jerk, sometimes, you know."

"I'm afraid I can't. It's built in, the same as being good looking and smart."

Adriana glared at him before holding onto her glass and tossing it at him, throwing the water all over him and the couch. "Stop. Being. Cocky." She gritted her teeth as Dean stared at her, shock written all over his face.

Sam let his head fall back, a deep laugh escaping his lips. "That is priceless!" He cheered in between breaths. He calmed down before glancing at his older brother, then started laughing all over again at his drenched, shocked expression.

Adriana looked rather pleased with herself. Dean stood up, holding his limbs away from himself and grabbed his bag, pulling off his shirt as he did so. Adriana couldn't stop herself glancing at him, older brother or not.

"I need to get some sleep. Out to the Shoemakers tomorrow." Dean said before sticking his head under the pillow.

"Ah, big brother. Lost too much face have we?" Sam teased. Dean didn't reply.

"I'll be working tomorrow."

Sam laughed before turning to Adriana. "Are you working tomorrow or do you wanna go with us?" He questioned and Adriana shook her head.

"I'll already be there. Donna Shoemaker is a friend from college," She told Sam. "She asked me to be there for the funeral."

Dean glanced up from the couch. "That actually could help us out a lot," He stated and Sam nodded in agreement to his older brother's statement.

"I'm sorry. Did you say you want my help?" Adriana asked, deadly serious. There was an awkward pause in the room before Adriana cracked up laughing. "You should've seen your face," she said, pointing to Sam. "Of course I'll help you out. I already have haven't I, letting you crash here?"

"Yeah, but you basically have a family obligation, Drie." Dean whined.

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Oh quit whining and get some sleep. You are cranky when you A) don't get enough sleep and B) haven't had sex in a while."

"And both of those are seriously lacking!" Dean exclaimed, waving a hand at Sam as if Adriana had just solved some long lost mystery that Sam wouldn't get. Sam shot Dean a look, warning him not to put it. "And the only reason I don' get enough sex, is because this one won't let me." Dean replied while pouting.

"Whatever you say, Deanie," she said, putting emphasis on the ending.

"Oi. Don't call me Deanie or I'll..." He trailed off, having nothing to say.

"You'll what, kick me out of my own house?" she called as she skipped off to her bedroom.

Dean's eyes narrowed at the blonde's slender, retreating back. "I hate her," He muttered under his breath and Sam could only shake his head and laugh.

"No you don't," He told his older brother. "You don't hate her and you couldn't if you tried," He added, a small smile on his lips and a small longing look in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Dean. "I doubt anyone could hate her." Sam said quietly.

Dean nodded in agreement. "You like her," he said, repeating his brothers words from earlier.

Sam blushed bright red. "No. I don't. She's my best friend."

"A very attractive best friend," he pointed out.

"Just like she sees you as a very attractive older brother, for reasons I know not, and she's not exactly jumping to bang you," Dean let the subject change, giving a sigh.

"Unfortunately. You say no-one could hate her, but Athena didn't exactly seem tight with her."

Sam shrugged as he sat down in a chair and pulled out his laptop. He placed the laptop on the top of his legs and pulled it open, waiting for it to start up. "They seem like their personalities would clash," Sam stated as if it were obvious and Dean shook his head.

"See, you say things like that and you wonder why you never get laid." Dean shook his head and Sam shot him a glare.

"Just because I say smarter things than you could ever think to say doesn't mean girls aren't interested in me," He stated as the laptop screen brightened up and Sam began to look for more information on the case they were working.

"What the hell does 'their personalities clash' even mean?" Dean questioned, rolling onto his back and gazing up at the ceiling of Adriana's apartment.

"Look. You know Drie. A big ball of fun, but stubborn as hell. And from what you saw of Athena, and yes, I know you were looking, did she look like the wall flower type?"

Dean considered his words. "She seemed rather... cocky."

"Then you and her would make a matched pair," Sam muttered under his breath but Dean continued.

"But at the same time, smart and curious... She knew about the badges. How does anyone know about that! And," Dean paused for effect. "She speaks car". This piece of information seemed to strike him as impressive more than anything else.

"You like that car way too much," Sam said as he started typing.

Dean shrugged. "The problem is, you don't like that car enough," He countered and Sam rolled his eyes at his older brother because sometimes Dean could act so young and childish.

"Why would I need to like the car?" Sam asked. "You like it enough for the both of us," He added, not glancing up from the computer screen as he continued to research.

There was a pause of silence, before Dean turned to face his younger brother. "Sam." His tone of voice was no longer teasing, it was serious, but curious. "Did you used to like Drie back in the day when we all hunted together?"

A number of emotions crossed Sam's face, as he seemed torn between telling his brother the truth and telling himself a lie.

"Yes. I liked her. A lot. But she always had a crush on you so..." he trailed off seeming uncertain. Dean seemed ready to reply seriously, to console his brother before the words came out of his mouth.

"Don't let that put you off, everyone's had a crush on me at one point. I'm just too irresistible". Sam didn't reply, staring at the computer. Dean noticed his brothers unusual silence and got up. "What have you found, college boy?"

Sam shook his head. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't really expect to find anything yet anyways since we haven't really talked to the witnesses, but I thought maybe they're might be some other victims with the similar ways of death."

"And nothing?" Dean asked to which Sam nodded.

"Exactly. Nothing." Sam closed his laptop and slid it back into its carry case before leaning back in his seat with a deep sigh. Why had Dean's question about his feelings for Adriana _back in the day_bother him right now? It wasn't like Jessica was still around. She was dead.

"Dean... There's something I never told you."

There was no reply, only silence. Sam looked over at his brother, who was sleeping in the oddest way. It almost made him look innocent with his legs sprawled all over the place and his arm shielding his face. He shifted in his sleep, moving the pillow and revealing the knife he always slept with. Sam sighed and got up to the spare bed, trying very carefully not to wake Adriana.

But she had already been awake. She sat up slightly, looking at him. "Sam... why are you back in this life? You left and went to college... what happened?" She asked him quietly.

Sam sat down on the bed, facing her. "Dad went missing... and Dean came to Stanford to ask me to help look for him."

"Something else happened..." Adriana didn't know how to explain it, but something was off about Sam and he just seemed distant and far away from the rest.

"A demon, the same one that killed our mother, killed my girlfriend," Sam stated quietly, glancing down at his hands in his lap.

Adriana tried not to let shock show through her face. She reached out and grabbed his hands. "Why? Because of your past?" Sam looked up and met her eyes, a hollow quality in his.

"I don't know why, all I know is that it was my fault..."

Adriana shook her head firmly. "It can't have been your fault Sam." Sam seemed adamant that it was but he wouldn't offer anymore information, leaving Adriana wondering about what he was hiding. "How could it have been your fault?" She asked him softly as she sat beside him on the spare bed he was occupying.

"I should have told her, warned her." Sam shook his head, glancing down. "I lied to her about my life and it got her killed."

"Sam, none of that is your fault. You couldn't have known," She said softly, and Sam sighed, turning to face her. He seemed about to tell her something, but then thought about it and kept his mouth shut, sighing softly.

"Yeah... but it doesn't stop the guilt."

"You just need to let go Sam. It's not healthy. Even Dean thinks something's up with you, and that's saying something," Adriana said in a light voice, trying to bring the mood up.

The edges of Sam's mouth curled up. "My brother's a dick isn't he?"

Adriana nodded without hesitation. "Yes he is. But because he got all the 'dick' genes in the family, it left you the nicest person possible and my best friend. Don't forget that, Sammy." She used his nickname affectionately and Sam didn't object for the first time to his nickname since being dragged back into this lifestyle.

Sam smiled softly. "You really wanna help us with this case?" He asked her, surprised she would offer her assistance since she hated this lifestyle just as much as he did. She had gotten out and he couldn't understand why she would want back in.

She nodded. "Yes. But not because I want to hunt again. Because I want to help you guys," She said then gave a teasing wink. "It'll be just like the good ole days."

"The good ole days... When were those again?" Sam asked, smiling.

"A long time ago. Anyway, we should sleep or I'm going to look terrible tomorrow."

"You could never look terrible," Sam said.

Adriana smirked and crossed the room. "You haven't seen me first thing in the morning lately," she replied as she slid into bed. "Oh. One more thing. I'm in two minds about telling Dean this because you know what he's like," she said, sitting up and rolling her eyes. "Athena will be there tomorrow, it's a small town. If we tell Dean, I'm worried he'll stop focusing. If we DON'T tell Dean and he sees her there, he'll definitely stop focusing. What do you think?"

Sam sighed. "Dean knows to get the job done. He gets distracted, but you know the case is the most important thing to him."

Adriana nodded. That was true of Dean. He was all 'work first, play later'. "We'll just let him run into her tomorrow." She decided, laying down against the pillows. "Night, Sam," She murmured softly before falling asleep.

Sam sighed, staring up at the ceiling as he thought. He thought about his life, about Jessica and about Adriana before also drifting off to sleep.

**Review!**


	2. Believe It or Not

**This is the fixed and updated version of Ch. 2 =]**

Adriana woke before Sam in the morning. She kicked open her door, yawning. the couch was empty and she walked into the kitchen to find Dean sitting at her table drinking coffee, his feet up on it like at the bar. She rolled her eyes and marched over to him, pushing his feet off.

"Hey. You. Feet. Off. Table"

Dean smirked and put them on the ground. "Someone didn't sleep very well," he intoned.

Adriana glared at him, grabbing a cup down from the cupboard. "I slept just fine, thank you very much. You know I'm not a morning person."

"Yes, I can certainly see that," Dean remarked as he appraised her messy hair, her camisole and underwear.

Adriana glared harder. "You can be a right asshole sometimes. Actually, a _lot_of the time."

Dean held his hands up in defense. "What can I say?"

"Just don't say anything. Then the world will be a better place."

"You two at it already?" Sam called as he stumbled from the bedroom, black circles under his eyes.

"She started it," Dean said.

Adriana grabbed the coffee pot and angrily began pouring it, cursing when she splashed herself. "I swear you have the maturity of a five year old. And the intelligence of one."

Dean shook his head. "I have the maturity of a very mature man," He stated and all Adriana could do was giggle and laugh at his witty remark.

"Yeah, nice one, Dean," Sam commented.

"Coffee, Sam?" Adriana asked, grabbing another cup out of her cupboard and Dean smirked.

"Well, look at that, Sammy. You've got yourself a housewife."

Adriana turned and glared at the twenty-six year old hunter. "I will not hesitate to pour my coffee on your head."

"That would hurt," Dean quipped.

"No _shit_, Sherlock. Because that's not the point or anything."

"Oh. You would've fooled me," Dean replied, feigning surprise.

Adriana poured Sam a cup and drained the last of hers, passing Sam's cup to him as she passed him. "I'm getting ready. Remember, it's a funeral," she said before slamming her bedroom door shut.

Dean looked at Sam. "Did she say _fun_eral?"

Sam shook his head. "Dean, don't. This family is mourning-"

Dean held up his hand to his little brother, stopping his lecture. "I know, I know. I was just joking. I will take this job very seriously." He rolled his eyes at his brother's lack of ability to take a joke as he grabbed his duffel bag and headed into the extra bathroom to get ready.

_~Far Away~_

By the time both boys were ready to go, Adriana had already left the apartment, but not before leaving a small note on the desk with the Shoemaker's address for the boys. Dean grabbed the small piece of paper up and studied it.

"Well, at least she was helpful," Dean commented as he handed Sam the piece of paper and pulled his tie tighter up to his collar.

"She is quite often. You just don't notice it."

"Oh and you do? Aren't you the observant one," Dean replied while opening his car door. "So what could we have here?"

"I couldn't even begin to contemplate until I'd a) seen the body and b) heard what happened," Sam said seriously.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that's probably true,"

He stated as he slid his car key into the ignition. He turned the key and the Impala engine roared to life, a sound that Dean could only smile at. He put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot before driving on down the road towards the address that Adriana had kindly left them. Cars lined the front war and people were milling into the house, everyone wearing black. Dean looked down and attempted to straighten his tie, making it more messy than it was in the first place.

"I hate wearing suits," he grumbled, climbing out of the car.

Sam laughed. "You'd think after doing this for so many years, you'd get over it," He stated also climbing out of the car and heading up the pathway that led to the house.

Once inside, there were many people circled around a small desk that had a picture of the late Mr. Steven Shoemaker on it. Men were dressed in suits, like the brothers, and women were dressed in black dresses or skirts. They followed some people outside into the backyard and stopped a man, asking him where Donna Shoemaker was. He pointed her out to them, and they spotted Adriana sitting beside her with two other blonde girls the same age. A little girl with dark brown hair was sitting on the other side of Donna, and Dean recognized Athena who was standing behind the group.

"I didn't know she was gonna be here," Dean whispered quietly to his brother as they made their way over to the group of girls.

Sam nodded. "Adriana told me last night she would be here. Surprise," He said teasingly to his older brother who gave him a look, but didn't say anything because they had stopped in front of the six girls sitting on the bench.

Dean glanced at Adriana and couldn't help but shake his head to himself. She definitely wasn't the little girl he had grown up with. She was all grown up and definitely dressed like it.

Today, she was wearing a white button up shirt with long sleeves, but she had rolled the sleeves up a little past her elbows. She had left a few buttons at the top undone, giving a teasing look at what she had to offer. The black skirt she was wearing was a straight black pencil skirt that stopped a little above her knees with a slit in the side of it that went up about mid-thigh. It hugged her hips tightly, and with her sitting down, however, the skirt had ridden up a bit, showing off her tan, toned legs.

Dean glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye and could see Sam staring at the petite blonde girl. In fact, if he looked around, rather a lot of men were staring at Adriana. Dean rolled his neck subconsciously, not realizing he was looking intimidating. Sam nudged him

"Dean. What's up with the macho routine? No one looks all that threatening here, so why do you need to be?"

Dean paused in his neck roll. "I had a crick. Isn't that what you do?" he said, walking over to the group of girls. He gave Adriana a look as he spoke to Donna. "Hello Donna. I'm Dean and this is Sam. We're very sorry to hear about your loss." Donna looked up at them mildly confused.

Adriana leaned forward. "They're friends of mine and Dean worked with your dad."

Donna nodded and spoke in a soft voice. "Thank you," She said softly then gave Dean a strange look. "You worked with my dad?" She asked, a bit surprised.

Dean nodded his head, going with the lie. "Yeah... I mean, this whole thing... a stroke." He shook his head sadly, as if he couldn't believe it had happened. He went to say more, but a girl with dirty blonde hair beside Adriana spoke up.

"I don't think she really wants to talk about this right now," She stated glancing at Donna who shook her head.

"It's okay," She said to the girl before turning back to Dean and Sam. "I'm okay."

"Were there any symptoms?" Dean asked. "Dizziness? Migraines?" He listed off a few of the side affects that would previously follow a stroke, but Donna shook her head.

"No." She started to say more, but the little dark-haired girl beside her glanced over at her. Now that Dean studied her further, she looked a lot like Donna, probably her little sister.

"That's because it wasn't a stroke," She told her older sister. Donna sighed.

"Lily, don't say that."

Sam glanced between the two. "What?" he asked, curious as to what she could have meant.

Donna hugged her younger sister and looked at Sam. "I'm sorry, she's just upset. We all are."

Lily pulled away from her sister. "No! It happened because of me!" Lily seemed adamant to convince someone what she was saying was true.

"Sweetie, it didn't," Donna said, sounding concerned and exasperated.

Sam crouched down in front of Lily. "Why would you say something like that?" he asked in a soft voice, while Dean rolled his eyes in the background.

He ran his eyes over the group again, past Adriana, past the dirty-blonde haired girl, until he reached Athena. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't exactly giving him the death stare either. She was dressed in a black dress, probably a lot longer than Adriana's skirt but with the legs on that girl, it looked like she was wearing a mini-skirt. Unfortunately for Dean, the top of the dress had long sleeves and covered all of her chest. He tuned back into the conversation.

"Right before he died. I said it," Lily was saying.

Sam cocked his head, puzzled. "You said what?" he asked, gently again, but Dean recognized the probing tone in his voice.

"Bloody Mary. Three times in the bathroom mirror. She took his eyes. That's what she does."

Donna sighed again. "This isn't your fault. That's not why dad died." She was trying so hard to convince her little sister none of this was her fault, but her little sister wasn't listening.

Dean nodded, tearing his gaze away from Athena. "I think your sister's right, Lily. There's no way it could have been Bloody Mary. Your dad didn't say it, did he?" He asked.

Lily shook her head. "No." She paused, glancing down, still feeling at fault. "I don't think he did."

Dean and Sam exchanged a glance. This was definitely a strange case. Adriana recognized the look between the two brothers and knew that something was going on that they hadn't experienced before. Dean motioned his head to Sam to head back to the house and as they walked away, Adriana stood up, turning to Donna.

"I really am sorry about your dad, hon. Call me if you can think of anything, all right?" She said, giving the girl a hug who nodded. Adriana glanced at Athena and saw her gaze was stuck on Dean. The blonde rolled her eyes before quickly following after the two boys. They opened the door, quickly mingling with the guests inside.

Adriana spoke quietly. "Is she real? I mean, have you ever come across a "Bloody Mary" spirit?"

"Not yet but there's a first time for everything."

They all walked up the stairs, ignored by everyone and crossed the hallway. Dean pushed open the door, instantly recognizing the rust colored stains on the floor as blood.

"But he didn't say it! Lily did," Adriana stated.

"Who knows, maybe the spirit manifests in a different way here," Dean remarked as he swung the mirror to face Sam. Sam glared at him and pushed it closed.

"Well, you gotta start somewhere right? So... _she,_" Adriana began, avoiding her name, "kills people by making their eyes explode."

"Sounds like fun," Dean said sarcastically and Sam rolled his eyes at his brother.

"It just looks like an ordinary mirror!" Adriana commented.

"Yeah, and you look like an ordinary person, but we know better, don't we Drie," Dean said, winking at Adriana.

"Hardy har har. You're hilarious."

"Oh I know. It comes with being me."

"And modest as well," Adriana muttered silently, moving back to the door. She opened it and started walking backwards.

"What are you doing up here?" came a voice from behind her. None of them jumped, having stopped flinching at unexpected noises a long time ago. Adriana spun to find Athena, leaning against a wall, smirking.

"We had to uh, go to the bathroom," Dean offered from the back of their group. Athena's eyebrows raised as she stood up straight and folded her arms.

"Really? All three of you? At once? And you didn't invite me?" At Sam's shocked expression, she laughed. "Relax, I'm kidding. But seriously, Ana, what were you doing?" Dean looked mildly surprised at this new nickname, but he figured it was what her friends called her.

"Ana?" Dean raised an eyebrow at the blonde girl, and she rolled her eyes at his amused tone.

She silently cursed Athena. Now Dean had something else to tease her about. Great. Adriana shrugged. "Dean was trying to find the bathroom, and he got lost, like always." She smirked at Dean's glare. Payback was a bitch. "So, Sam came down to find me to show him where it was," She finished.

"Wow Anna! Such talent. Where did you learn to lie like that? It's not a big house. Had he come up the stairs, he would have had four options. Now, he almost certainly has more looks than brains." Dean smirked at this. "but seriously, who cannot find the freaking bathroom!"

"Apparently Dean can't!" Adriana said, and Athena shook her head.

"No. You just can't lie properly," Athena said smirking.

Adriana went to comment, but Sam grabbed her wrist and pulled her back before she could. She had a temper and didn't like people calling her out. He was trying to stop a fight before one broke out. They didn't need attention drawn onto them.

Dean stepped out in front of the group, looking directly at Athena. "Athena. Do you mind if I call you Athena?"

Athena waved her hand as if she couldn't care less. "What else are you going to call me, Artemis?" Sam smiled slightly, recognizing the name of another Greek Goddess.

"From what you've heard, does Steven Shoemaker really sound like a stroke victim?" Dean continued, not realizing the joke.

"I don't know, I haven't seen many stroke victims," she replied, intending to make this as difficult as possible.

Dean sighed. "Cut the bullshit. He's not. His eyes were liquidated. That sound like a stroke?"

Athena didn't reply for a couple of seconds. "Oh, but of course, if it's not a stroke then it _must _be Bloody Mary?" She took in their reactions, Sam shifting uneasily at the back of the group.

"You believe in that?" Dean asked, playing off the seriousness of the situation with a joke.

Athena looked him dead in the eye. "You do."

Dean shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. It's just a game little kids play when they're trying to scare their friends. I'm definitely not a little kid."

"Yeah, well, you certainly act like one at times," Adriana said with a wink at Sam and he laughed, nodding his head in agreement to the blonde's statement.

"If it wasn't a stroke, then what was it?" Athena asked, turning to glance at Adriana and rolling her eyes at the girl.

"Honestly? We don't know yet. But we don't want it to happen to anyone else," He said, pausing to see her reaction which was unreadable at the moment. "And that's the truth."

"Oh finally the truth. Whatever will I have to do to pay you back for this rare and miraculous thing?"

"Well-" began Dean, while winking.

"Do you ever _stop _being sarcastic, Thena?" Adriana asked, her eyes narrowed as she cut Dean's most probably inappropriate statement off.

Athena's eyes flashed at the use of her nickname, which Dean regarded as interesting. Apparently, both these girls used them to wind the other up. "Yes. When said people I'm talking to deserve more effort than sarcasm."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit," Dean piped up, earning glares from everyone.

"And that explains why you're not funny," Sam said sadly, shaking his head and Adriana laughed at his comment, temporarily forgetting she was frustrated with Athena.

"Look, if you would just tell me what the hell's going on around here, I might not have to poke around and explore on my own," Athena stated.

Adriana rolled her eyes. "If you poke around, you're just gonna get yourself hurt and involved in something that is way bigger than you."

"I can look after myself, thank you very much. Something that _you_ seem unable to do," Athena replied before storming out of the hallway and down the stairs.

Dean shook his head. "This is not good."

"Oh wow, Dean finally recognizes the gravity of our situation," Adriana snapped. Sam gave a surprised look and she took a breath in. "Sorry. That girl winds me up."

"She winds me up as well," Dean muttered, low enough for only Sam to hear, who shot him a look.

Sam turned to Adriana. "Drie, it's okay, what could happen? Really?" Adriana looked up at him and nodded.

"You're right. I'm probably overreacting. Then again, you don't know Athena. Everything is a challenge to her, everything. Doesn't matter what it is or who set it, she'll do it. More often than not, she wins," Adriana said, wrinkling her nose at the last sentence.

"What, so all you need to do is say "I bet you can't shag Dean" and she'll do it? Awesome," Dean stated and Adriana glared at him.

"I'm going to kill you in your sleep, I swear." She rolled her eyes. "Anyways, back to the case. What are you guys gonna do?"

Dean shrugged, leaning against the sink. "I don't know. Probably hit up the library and see what we can find on the legend and see if anything going on in this town fits it. I mean, it's a small town, shouldn't be too hard."

Adriana nodded. "I'd offer to help you two, but I've got work as soon as this funeral is over," She told him. "I've got the night shift."

"We'll see you later then Drie," Dean said, giving her a quick hug as he passed her. Sam did the same but lingered a little longer. Just as he was about to leave the hallway, Adriana called out.

"Hey Sam? Be careful. And watch out for him," she said, jerking a thumb in the direction Dean had gone. Sam smiled and kept walking. Adriana walked back into the bathroom and touched the mirror. What on earth was happening?

_~Far Away~_

At work, Athena was stuck covering for Adriana once again because she was late. She shook her head in annoyance as she leaned against the top of the bar, waiting for the blonde to walk through the doors. She was going to get answers from her one way or another. Adriana seemed to believe in this "Bloody Mary" so maybe if she started to say it, the blonde would freak out and explain. Adriana walked into the bar, tucking her shirt in.

"Sorry I'm late. You didn't mind covering did you? Did Steve say anything?" she asked, referring to the manager.

"No. And that's "no he didn't say anything" not "no, I didn't mind covering for you, _yet _again."

"Whatever," Adriana replied as she walked behind the bar. Athena picked up a glass, determined to get her answers as soon as possible.

"So, Anna dear. In this 'Bloody Mary' legend, does it have to be a mirror or just some reflective surface?" she asked.

Adriana turned on her. "First, don't call me Anna or Dear and especially not the two together. Second, why do you even care?"

Athena smirked, happy she got a reaction from the younger, shorter girl. "So, you wanna answer my question?" She asked. "Or should I just say it and find out?"

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Go ahead and say it," She stated with a roll of her eyes.

"Just tell me the legend."

Adriana sighed and began to explain what happened, not really paying attention. "Legend goes you have to say "Bloody Mary" three times in front of a mirror with the lights off. Then she appears and scratches your eyes out," She stated as she wiped off the top of the bar just as a few men walked in. "Why do you even care about the legend, Athena?"

"It's not really the legend I care about so much as to why you believe it," She nodded in the direction of the men. "You gonna serve them or shall I?"

"I don't really care, to be quite honest."

"In that case," said Athena, picking up some glasses with practiced ease, "I'll serve."

Adriana motioned her to go right ahead as she walked over to the taps. The men instantly began flirting with her, and as was the way of a waitress, she responded in kind. The girl was smart, Adriana had to give her that. But far, far too cocky. And that was gonna land her in a whole lot of trouble. She turned back, to service some woman at a far back table when the doors swung open. In walked Dean and Sam, looking frustrated out of their minds.

"Two shots of whiskey please," they said as they sat down and launched themselves into conversation.

As Adriana picked up a tray she called "I'll be right with you." hurrying back to the bar. She measured their shots and carried them over, ignoring Athena's dirty look as she sat down. "What's up?" she asked. Dean and Sam shared a glance.

"It happened again," Dean began, as he usually did.

Adriana glanced at him. "What did?"

"Someone else died."

"Who?" Adriana looked concern. It was a small town and no doubt it would be someone she knew.

"Jill," Dean stated quietly as he downed his shot.

Adriana gasped and covered her mouth. "Jill?" She couldn't believe it. She had just seen Jill earlier that day at the funeral. It didn't seem possible for her to already be gone. "You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding me..." Jill had been one of Adriana's close friends from college, and she wasn't prepared for her to have died.

"Adriana. I might do some stupid things, but I would never kid about this," Dean said soberly.

"I gotta get over there," Adriana said, pulling her work shirt out and undoing her bun. She ran to the bar and placed her tray on it. As she was about to turn and leave, someone caught her wrist. She turned to see Athena, her grey eyes looking at her coldly.

"Where. Are. You. Going?" she said, separating each word.

"Athena, I really don't have time for this right now."

"Yeah, and I don't have time to cover for your sorry ass every time you shoot off!" Athena practically yelled, causing the bar to fall silent. Adriana wrenched her wrist out of Athena's grip, causing Athena to tumble forwards.

"Look, I've had it with you!" Adriana returned, her eyes blazing. Sam gave Dean a glance but he was too busy watching the fight that was almost certainly about to erupt.

"Drie, we should go..." Sam began.

"In a minute Sam. Give. Me. One. Minute," she said without turning around. She stalked to behind the bar, looking up at Athena, her anger making her diminutive stature seem far more threatening than she actually was. "Athena. You just don't know when to give up do you. You're about to land yourself in a whole lotta shit, just like your father did."

Athena's hand shot out and caught Adriana in the face. "Oh, yeah? Watch me," she said, walking up to the mirror behind the bar, dragging Adriana with her.

"Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary-". Before she could say the third Sam cried out but it was too late. "Bloody Mary."

Adriana turned to Athena, her glare blazing with fury. "What the hell is your problem?" She exclaimed in frustration.

Athena smirked. "I thought you didn't believe in the legend?"

Adriana started to retort, but Sam and Dean came up behind her. "Drie, let it go," Sam said softly, pulling her away from the tall, dark-haired girl.

"We need to get both of them out of here," Dean muttered under his breath to Sam who nodded his head in approval of the idea. They didn't know if this "Bloody Mary" legend was true or not, but they weren't about to take a risk with an innocent life. While they did more research, they would keep Athena under their watchful gazes.

"Adriana, we have to go. Athena, you're coming with us." Both of the girls eyebrows shot up and they began to protest.

"Now." Dean said in a tone of voice that commanded respect and obedience. Sam looked over in surprise, having heard the exact same tone in his father's voice, many times. Adriana quickly caught up to Sam, whispering frantically to him while Athena walked up with Dean, trying to look calm, but failing.

"What you did was very stupid."

Athena looked at him, taking in the lack of all joking tone and a smirk. "Why? I thought it was nonsense? You can't possibly believe in it as well?" she asked, sounding slightly incredulous and exasperated.

"It's not a question of what I do believe in. It's a question of what I don't." Dean shook his head before calling out to Sam and Adriana in front of him. "We need to head back to Jill's place and see what we can find."

Sam nodded in agreement as he reached the Impala. "I think Athena or Adriana should ride up front with you." He glanced at the small blonde who stood beside him, still fuming. "It's probably best to split them up."

"I'll take Athena," he said. Sam gave him a look. "Figuratively of course." Athena slid into the front seat as Sam continued to whisper to Adriana. She whistled as she sat on the leather.

"Wow," she said, admiration in her voice. "Very good condition."

"I know, she's my baby," Dean said, smiling and leaning back as he turned the key and revved the engine. 'What did you say your dad has?"

"Had. And cool car_._"

"That's right. Why the past tense?"

Athena sighed. "He had to sell it to pay off his... debts," she said.

Dean noticed her reluctance to talk about her dad and so dropped it and called out to the two who were still standing outside the car. "Hey, you two wanna get in the car so we can go? You're burning daylight." He revved the engine again as if to prove his impatience.

Sam rolled his eyes as he opened the backdoor to the Impala. "Get some patience, Dean. It's a virtue and is very much needed."

Dean blew out a breath of exasperation. "Just get in the car, Sammy."

Sam didn't let it go as he climbed in. "You know, I hear chastity is also a virtue but you seemed to have lost that a _long_time ago," he said, causing Athena to let out a small snort of laughter in the front.

Dean looked over at her. "Don't believe a word he says."

"And why ever not?" she asked, a slight teasing tone in her voice.

"Because it's all lies, baby," he said, winking as he sped out of her driveway, spitting gravel everywhere.

"Seriously Dean, do you think you could make any more of an effort to wreck my house."

Dean glanced back to Adriana, then at the skid he left. "I don't know, maybe not. After all, that's a pretty decent skid."

Adriana started to lean forward to hit him, but Sam grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. "Dean, grow up. Drie, calm down. Geez, how did I ever manage to make it through childhood without going insane when I had you two bickering like it was the end of the world." He shook his head and Dean smirked at him through the rearview mirror.

"Because it was the end of the world to us little children," He stated with a laugh.

"Must still be the end of the world to you Deanie, because you're still a little child," Sam said, leaning back in his chair.

"So, where did you say your friend lived?" Dean said, obviously changing the subject.

"I didn't. But she lives-"

"She lives down the street on the left," Sam said, cutting her off. Dean glanced backwards.

"How do you know that, you stalker?"

Sam pointed forwards. "First, if you had of been looking at the road and not back here, you would've seen all the cop cars. And secondly, I'm not a stalker, I just happen to notice more things than girls asses."

Dean turned back to the front to see blue and red lights lighting up the street to the left. "Oh."

"Typical Dean," she muttered.

"Adrie, why didn't you let me stop you in the bar? I know you, I knew you were about to blow up."

Adriana looked over at him, her face cast half in the shadows. "I don't know Sam. Part of me's been wanting to do that for a long time. I seized the opportune moment."

"Oh, is that what they call spontaneous chick fights now days?" Sam said in a teasing voice, bringing a smile to Adriana's face.

She rolled her eyes, trying to fight the smile on her face. "You're an ass. Just like your brother," She joked with him and Dean pulled the car onto the side of the road.

"I take that as a compliment," Dean said, rather proud of himself as he killed the engine and got out of the car. "Come on. Time to head inside."

"Do you have a plan on how to get inside?" Adriana asked sarcastically as she climbed out of the car as well. "Or were you just planning on marching up to her mother and saying you needed to investigate the room?"

"Well, this may come as a surprise, but I am actually as smart as I am good looking."

Adriana widened her eyes in mock surprise. "Surely not? Well anyway, continue."

"This, my dear, is where you come in," Dean said, reaching down and patting her head. "Just say you need to... look at some photos."

"And knowing Dean, that was meant in a disgusting way," Adriana remarked as she walked up to the front door.

Athena nudged Dean. "Her window's this way."

Dean stopped for a moment. "Her window? Why would we need her window?"

"I know Anna, I know how she works. We need to get to that window."

They snuck around the house through the bushes, before Adriana pushed the window open, her shadow being thrown onto the lawn. Athena smirked before walking across. She placed her hand on the ledge of the guttering, and lifted herself off the ground.

"Here, let me give you a hand," Dean said, placing his hands on her ass.

"Get your hands off my ass. I am not some helpless female," she hissed as she pulled herself up. Dean lost contact while

Sam shook his head in disgust. "You are _so _smooth, big brother," he said, as Dean continued to look at Athena climbing, smiling to himself. Sam whacked him around the back of the head and jumped up to the gutter.

"You wouldn't like a hand as well, little Sammy," Dean said in such a gay voice, Sam almost let go with shock and Adriana burst out laughing then quickly covered her mouth, stifling her laughter.

"Hurry and get up here!" She whispered loudly enough for them to hear. She backed away from the window and began to look around the room.

"What are you looking for?" Athena asked as the two boys climbed in through the window.

"We'll let you know as soon as we find it," Dean said as he tossed his duffel bag onto the bed. "Hit the lights," He said as Adriana crossed the room to the light switch, flicking it off.

Sam grabbed a camcorder out of the duffel bag and began to turn it over, looking for a certain button. He turned to Dean. "Hey, night vision?" He asked and Dean pressed a button on the top of it. "Perfect," Sam said as he aimed the camera at Dean.

Dean smirked as he turned his back on the camera and glanced at it over his shoulder. "Do I look like Paris Hilton?" Sam shook his head.

"What can you see?" Dean asked.

"Nothing much, yet," he said as he ran the camera over the mirror.

"I don't get it. There's usually a pattern right? The first victim didn't summon her and the second did. How does that work?"

"I have no idea. But someone's going to say it again. It's only a matter of time." Sam walked into the bathroom and Dean looked over at both the girls. Their body language towards each other was screaming 'I hate you'.

"Sam?" Dean called out when there was no news from him.

"Dean? There's a black light in the trunk, right?" he said, while removing the mirror from the wall. Dean vaulted off the roof, returning in under five minutes.

"Got it." He tossed the light to Sam.

Sam caught it with one hand and almost dropped the camera. Adriana giggled. He glared and flipped the mirror over carefully, running the light over it after he tore off the brown paper on the back. There was a hand print on the back of it beside the name 'Gary Bryman".

"That's not creepy at all," Athena commented as she peered over Sam's shoulder.

"You know who Gary Bryman is?" Sam asked as he glanced at both girls who shook their head, neither having heard of the name before.

Dean groaned. "Great. More research."

"Yes Dean. More research. Comes in handy if you know how to do it, usually learn it in college."

"I'm sure I'll cope," Dean replied before swinging back out the window. He waited for the others on the ground. When they arrived, he spoke, commanding all attention again. "Okay. We can't let this one out of our sight" he said, jerking his head at Athena. "So, we're having a slumber party," he said, putting enthusiasm into his voice. He was met by three blank stares. Dean sighed. "Look, are we all gonna crash at Drie's or should Sam and I shoot off?"

Adriana opened and closed her mouth. "Stay at mine. It's easier," she said in an emotionless voice.

"Right then. It's settled."

Adriana sighed as she followed Dean and the others to the Impala. "But, remember, I only have two beds and a couch. Either someone's sharing a bed or someone's sleeping on the floor," She stated as she leaned her back against the car door, waiting for the others to decide what they were gonna do. Adriana really had no problem sharing a bed with one of the Winchesters. She had done it plenty of times back in the day whenever they were on hunts. It would be nothing new to her.

"I'll share," Sam offered. Dean raised his eyes in surprise.

"Really? With whom?"

"Adriana, duh." Adriana smiled at him, not at all uncomfortable. Dean turned to face Athena.

"Would you like the bed or the couch?"

"I'll take the floor."

"That's hardly necessary, I offered-" Sam started.

"I'll take the floor," Athena said again, daring any of them to argue.

Adriana shrugged. "Guess that means you get your bed back, Sammy," she said, and Sam tried not let any disappointment show. He wondered if she could keep the nightmares out, but now he wouldn't know. All four of them stared at each other before Sam, ever the sensible one, spoke.

"It's late. We should get to the library first thing tomorrow."

Adriana nodded and walked off to the car. No one spoke on the trip home. It took thirty seconds with Dean's driving so there was no need. She pulled out her apartment key and led the way up the stairs to her room with a yawn. After opening the door, she tossed the key up on the counter before turning to the others who were filing in.

"What time are we getting up?" The blonde asked.

"What time does the library open?" Sam questioned as he closed the door behind him and locked it.

"5:30," Adriana replied then groaned as she realized where he was going with that. "You seriously wanna be there when it opens? The books and information isn't gonna go anywhere..." She whined, pouting.

"The sooner we can figure this out, the sooner _you_ get rid of _her,"_he said, pointing to Athena subtly. Sam didn't exactly dislike the girl but he thought she was a bit full of herself, a lot like someone else he knew. And she was obviously attracted to Dean, no surprise there. They were always attracted to Dean. Except Adriana. He wondered if it was because she'd grown up with him.

"True that. Okay. 5:30am it is," she said, sounding way too cheery. Sam laughed.

"Adrie. You are something else."

She looked at him and he met her gaze. "I know. Although I try and contain it, unlike your brother and co." Sam laughed again and started walking off to the bedroom. Adriana paused before following him. "Night Dean" she said, and entered her room, pulling her door closed behind her.

This left Dean and Athena standing in the kitchen. "So..." Dean said. Athena looked over at him.

"So what? So am I going to die?" Dean almost laughed at her straightforward question.

"I have no clue yet." He said and he hated that he didn't know. But, he was determined to find out what was going on here.

"Hey, Sam." Adriana stepped out of the bathroom in her room, all changed and ready for sleep. She was wearing a rather tight white shirt and a pair of boycut underwear. The end of her shirt didn't meet the top of her underwear, showing off a sliver of tan, tone skin. "There are some blankets in the closet over there." She pointed to a closet off to the side. "Can you grab some and an extra pillow and give them to Athena?"

Sam was too busy staring at her to notice she'd said anything.

"Sam?"

He snapped out of his daze. "Yes?"

"Did you hear anything I just said?" she asked.

"Sorry, no, I was staring into empty space."

"You were staring at me," she stated.

Sam didn't reply and walked over to the cupboard, grabbing the pillows and blankets, swinging the door open. Dean and Athena were still talking, now sitting at the dining room table. Athena shook her head, neither of them noticing Sam.

"Who are you?" she asked. Dean looked at her and was about to reply, when Sam cleared his throat.

"Ah... Athena? These are for you," he said, dumping them on the ground and returning to his room. He felt like he'd interrupted something but he had no idea what. Dean certainly didn't have his hands all over her, something that surprised him a little.

But before he got to his room, he turned around and walked back over to them. Dean glanced up at him. "What is it?" He asked.

"We need to visit the Shoemaker's place again," Sam said and Dean nodded. "We need to see if there was a name on the back of the mirror Steven Shoemaker died in front of it," He added and once again Dean nodded his head.

"I was just thinking that. We also need to find out who this Gary Bryman is," Dean said. "And how he connects to Jill."

Sam went to comment further, but a high-pitched scream from Adriana's bathroom cut him off. He glanced at Dean for a split second before both of them took off to check on the blonde girl. It took a lot of things to scare Adriana.


	3. Should've Listened

**Disclaimer: We do not own this show or the characters involved except for our two OC's. Hope you enjoy the next chapter! =]**

Sam was the first one into the bathroom since he had already been standing. He glanced around and his gaze landed on Adriana who was huddled in a corner, almost shaking. She didn't scare easily because of the life she had grown up in, but something had definitely terrified her.

"Drie! What's wrong?" Sam asked as he hurried over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, his watch touching her bare arm. Adriana looked up and glanced at his watch. She let out another, terrified blood-curdling scream and shied away from Sam."Drie. It's me, Sam," he said.

She hid her face in her arms, not saying a word. Sam tried to help her up but she wouldn't budge. He motioned to Dean to help him and Dean hurried over. Athena stood shocked in the doorway. Together, the two men lifted her, causing her hands to fall from her eyes. She glanced at the mirror as she left and screamed again, this time screaming words.

"I can see her!"

"Who?" Dean asked as he sat beside the blonde on her bed. "What happened?" His voice was softer than he normally ever had it in his attempts to calm her down.

"Bloody Mary..." She said quietly, whimpering. "I saw her..."

Sam glanced at Dean. He had never seen her this terrified in any of the hunts they had gone on as kids. She was shaking, and neither of them knew what to do or say, but Athena spoke up from behind them, confused. "Wait, this Bloody Mary thing isn't real," She said, stepping towards them. "I mean, you guys are playing a prank on me, trying to get me to believe you."

"Athena. I am being serious. Grab a towel and bring it here." Athena stood hands on her hips ignoring him. Unnoticed to them both, Adriana's hands had dropped again and she gasped for breath. A small trickle of blood leaked out of each eye before Sam elbowed the mirror, smashing it. "Athena, NOW!" Dean yelled. Athena sprinted to the bedroom and grabbed a towel, lobbing it at Dean, who wrapped it around Adriana's head. "Drie. She can't get you. C'mon," he said, helping her up. This time, Adriana let herself be pulled up and they moved her onto the bed. "Sam, anything reflective in here, pull it down." Sam took photos off walls and hid lamps under beds. As he re-approached Adriana he noticed light bouncing off his watch, and chucked it in his pocket. He nodded at Dean. "Adriana. You can come out now."

Adriana shakily removed the towel, looking around the room wildly. Her gaze turned to Sam, shaking her head. "How? I didn't say it; she did." She pointed at Athena, not accusingly or angrily, just merely to get her point across.

Sam glanced at Dean who shrugged, not knowing what to say. Neither of them understood how this was happening, but they did know that they had to stop it soon or they were going to lose someone they both cared about.

Sam spoke, his natural voice softer than Dean's forced one. "Adrie. If we're gonna stop this thing, we need to know what happened." Adriana shook her head again but less convincingly. Sam sat on the bed beside her and rubbed her back, making soothing noises. "What happened?"

Adriana took a stuttering breath in before speaking in a broken voice, one the brothers had only heard once before: when her father died. "I was cleaning my teeth. I bent down and my reflection... didn't move. I looked up and she spoke to me." She stopped unable to finish, dry sobs wracking her whole body as she buried her face in Sam's chest.

Sam looked across at Dean, worried. "What did she say?"

"She said 'you killed him. It's all your fault, you weren't there. He died because of you'." There was a morbid pause in the room. "And then my eyes burned, like acid was being poured on them, and that's when I screamed," she finished in a hollow voice.

Dean began pacing. "Where's the pattern?" He questioned, shaking his head as he glanced at Adriana who was leaning against Sam, holding onto his shirt tightly.

"There isn't one, Dean," Sam said quietly, his arms around Adriana as her shakes and sob slowly lessened. He sighed. "We don't have enough information on anything to even try to attempt to find a pattern right now."

Dean turned to Sam. "So what are we supposed to do? Just sit here with Adriana next on the chopping block?" He questioned.

Sam gave him a look that Dean could only interrupt as _don't scare her anymore than she already is_. Dean could only sigh at his brother's look before running a hand through his short, light brown hair. Adriana was like his little sister and there was no way he was going to lose her. There had to be a way to stop this thing. He groaned inwardly. They didn't even know what "this thing" was at the moment. They had no information that could help them, and right now they were running out of time-and so was Adriana.

"We have to find out what it is and we can't leave Adriana alone. What if I go to the Shoekmaker's and you go to the library and Athena stays with her-"

Sam shook his head at his brother. "She wouldn't know what to do, I'll stay, research isn't that hard. And she's been to college."

Dean paused for a moment. "Okay," he said, snapping into action. Sam re-covered Adriana's head while they opened the door and they quickly crossed the lounge. As they reached the Impala, Athena spoke, her voice for once lacking sarcasm.

"Please tell me what's happening?" Dean ignored her as he climbed in the car and turned on the engine, skidding out of her driveway again. "Dean?" Athena questioned. Dean sighed. This girl's life was in danger. She had to know.

"Do you believe in the Supernatural?" he asked her quietly but urgently. Athena was still for a minute.

"I didn't until five minutes ago."

Dean nodded, this girl caught on fast. "Well basically, my brother and I hunt creatures of the supernatural. And that in there... whatever it is, is one of them." Athena accepted his words. There was no other explanation for it. Dean skidded into the library parking lot. "Okay, you're looking for Gary Bryman remember? Anything unusual about his death, anything odd, get it down. I'll come in and find you when I'm done. Whatever you do, _don't_say it."

Athena nodded her head, quickly getting out of the car. She had made the mistake once and said her name, and now Adriana was in trouble. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. She watched the black Impala exit the parking lot before she hopped up the steps to the library and quickly made her way in, taking note of the time it closed. She had about thirty minutes before they would kick her out. She had to get to researching fast before that time came. She stepped inside and quickly made her way over to a computer, typing in the name 'Gary Bryman'. A bunch of results popped up and she sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

While Dean was on his way to the Shoemaker's, he was about twenty minutes into the drive when his phone rang. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket, and flipped it open. Placing it to his ear, he kept one hand on the wheel, paying attention to the road.

"What is it, Sammy?"

"How are you going to talk to Donna?" He asked over the receiver. You don't have any reason to get into the bathroom to look at the mirror. And I'm pretty sure she isn't just gonna let you waltz in there," He added.

Dean groaned. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "I'll... uh... improvise."

There was a pause. "Improvising? Is that what they call it now days?"

"Improvising works Sam. You just have to be skilled enough to execute it," Dean said before flipping the phone shut, and pulling into the driveway of the Shoemaker family. He knocked on the door and it was answered by Donna.

"Yes?" she asked, her tone curious but not dismissive.

"I was wondering if I could perhaps come in, to talk to you about a few things" Dean asked lightly. Donna seemed surprised but swung the door open, allowing him to enter.

"What do you need to talk about?" she asked as Dean desperately wracked his brains, trying to think of something plausible to say.

"This is gonna sound-" Before he could come up with probably the worst lie he had ever created in his career of lying, Charlie stepped out from a room off to the left.

"Donna, can I have some water?" Charlie asked. Donna nodded before exiting the room to go to the kitchen. Charlie waited for her to leave before addressing Dean. "Your brother called. He said you might need help with something and that I could help. Look, I don't know what's going on but if my friends are in danger, I'm willing to help you." She paused for a moment before continuing. "What do you need?" She asked and Dean was standing there quietly for a moment, not quite sure how to react before he spoke.

"I need to see the mirror that Donna's dad died in front of," He stated, realizing how stupid the actual request sounded out loud.

Charlie gave him an odd look but nodded for him to go right ahead. "I'll keep her away."

Dean quickly walked up the stairs, trying to tread lightly. He opened the cupboard so he could see the back of the mirror and ripped off the backing cover. He shone the black light over it.

"Linda Shoemaker," he said, taking note of the similar hand print beside it. He ran the light over the rest of the mirror but there was nothing. He grabbed the shredded paper and put it into the cupboard, closing it. So Mary left a name, not the victim's name, but a name behind each mirror she killed on.

"What are you doing?" came a soft voice from the doorway. Lily was standing there in a little pink nightie.

"I'm trying to help your dad. Go back to sleep," he said gently, and Lily walked off as though it was all a dream. He crept back down the stairs quietly. Donna and Charlie were sitting at the table talking. Dean pulled up a chair. "So it's just you and Lily now?" he asked. Donna nodded. "Where's your mother?"

"Mom died from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills a couple of years ago," she said, putting stress on the word accidental.

Dean paused. "I'm sorry to hear that, what was her name, I remember seeing something about that last time I visited Adrie," he lied. He paused. "So, it was an accident?"

Donna's eyes flashed as she turned to him. "Yes it was."

Dean quickly had to backtrack. "Now, Donna just listen-"

But Dean had already done too much damage. "Get out of my house!" She snapped, running up the stairs, leaving Charlie and Dean sitting at the table.

"You don't think her dad could have killed her mom, do you?" She asked quietly and Dean shrugged.

"I don't know, but it's a possibility. I need to get out of here. I'll see you around. If anything happens, call." With that, the emerald-eyed hunter walked out of the Shoemaker home and got into his Impala and headed over to the library to pick up Athena.

When he got there, she was sitting on the steps with papers in her hand. When the Impala pulled up closer to her, she stood up and got in the car, explaining to him everything she had found while handing him the paper. Dean glanced over them before pulling out his phone and dialing Sam's number. He held the phone to his ear while it rang, impatiently awaiting Sam to pick up and reply. While he waited, he gazed over the papers again, holding the phone up to his ear with his shoulder. Hopefully, Sam could give some insight into what was happening.

Sam picked up his phone from off of the table, still holding Adriana. "Dean? You guys find anything?"

Dean nodded, although Sam couldn't see it. "Yeah. The name on Shoemaker's mirror? Linda Shoemaker. It was Steven's wife who died of accidental overdose, or so that's what Donna told me." He paused looking at a paper. "So, Gary Bryman was an 8-year-old boy. Two years ago he was killed in a hit and run. The car was described as a black Toyota Camry. But nobody got the plates or saw the driver." He waited for the information to sink in before he asked, "Does this help us at all?" He questioned his little brother who sighed.

"I don't know..."

"We're on our way back to Drie's now. We'll try to put together more pieces of the puzzle then," He said before hanging up the phone.

"How did you and your brother meet Adriana?"

"Matthew Tanner, Drie's dad," He explained. "He knew my dad and that's how Adriana got all mixed up in this crazy life."

"What happened to him?" She asked quietly feeling that there was something going on, realizing this wasn't just a sensitive subject for Adriana, but also for the brothers.

"He was on a hunt with my dad and I..." Dean trailed off, glancing out the window. "The case went all wrong, and it ended up costing him his life." He got quiet near the end, and Athena slowly realized that Dean was blaming himself for the death.

Athena was no stranger to the blame game. She blamed herself for what happened to her father. But Dean seemed like the type to blame himself for anything and everything that could happen to someone he cared about, and if Adriana died, it would just about kill him. Athena snapped her fingers, suddenly.

"A black Toyota Camry? That's what Jill drove..."

Dean took in this information. "Could she have killed him?" he asked.

Athena considered his words. "It's possible. She hated responsibility. But if Shoemaker killed his wife, and Jill killed Bryman, who did Adriana kill?"

"No one as far as I know. But maybe it's not just death." He paused. "Matthew... Maybe..." He fell silent as they pulled into Adriana's driveway for the third time that day. Dean sat for a minute before opening the door. "I have an idea but I have to ask Sam," he said before climbing out and hurrying to the house. Sam was still sitting with Adriana, his arms around her and jumped slightly as Dean walked in, straight to Sam. "A spirit manifests through death right? Maybe..." he stopped and turned to Adriana. "Drie. I have a question and I need you to answer me truthfully." Adriana nodded, scared. "Do you blame yourself for your dad's death?" In answer Adriana burst into tears. "It's the guilt. There was a death and Adriana blames herself. Anyone in the same situation could've looked in that mirror and Mary would've latched onto them," Dean finished.

Sam nodded. "So, if you've got a secret, like a really nasty one where someone died, Mary sees that and punishes you for it?"

"Whether you summoned her or not," Dean added. "And it's not just the secret, it's the guilt of what happened that she latches onto."

"So, how do we stop it?" Sam asked. In response, Dean walked over to Sam's laptop, opening it and pulling it onto his lap. He waited for it to load before typing into the search engine. Sam studied his brother carefully. "You already did a search of the town, Dean."

"I'm not just doing a regular search."

"Wait, wait, wait you're doing a nationwide search?" Sam questioned, a bit in shock.

"Yep. The NCIC, the FBI database—at this point any Mary who died in front of a mirror is good enough for me," Dean commented.

"But if she's haunting the town, she should have died in the town," Sam said quietly.

Dean glanced up at his brother, a bit of annoyance in his emerald eyes. "I'm telling you there's nothing local, I've checked. So unless you got a better idea—" He trailed off as his gaze went from his brother onto the blonde he was holding in his arms. At this point, anything was worth a shot if it meant they could help save Adriana. "Did you know Mary is the second most common name in America?" Dean offered from his computer.

Sam rolled his eyes and Adriana snorted. "No, I didn't know, and I don't really care," Sam snapped.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Dean remarked.

Sam glared at his brother. "I didn't sleep. So it's impossible for me to have woken up in a crappy mood. You caused that all by yourself."

Adriana looked at Sam as he said this. "You stayed awake all night?" she questioned.

Sam yawned in response and Dean nodded. He expected nothing less. He would've done the same. "It's not a big deal," The younger hunter replied nonchalantly.

"Drie, can I connect the laptop to your printer?" He asked. He glanced up and watched the blonde nod her head before he clicked on something on the screen. A few minutes later the whirring noise of the printer could be heard as it began to print out the papers he needed. He set the laptop aside and stood up, grabbing the papers off of the desk before standing at the end of the bed beside his younger brother. "Take a look at this." He handed one of the papers to Sam.

It was of a woman lying next to a mirror in a puddle of blood on the floor. Sam studied it for a minute before glancing up at his brother who then handed him the next page. This one was of the back of the mirror where a handprint could be seen, just like all the rest. Beside it, three letters could be seen: "TRE". Sam shook his head as he handed the papers back to his older brother.

"Looks like the same handprint."

Dean nodded. "Her name was Mary Worthington-an unsolved murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana."

"Indiana? But that's a whole state away," Athena spoke for the first time since returning home. Dean looked over at her. Her grey eyes showed understanding and regret.

"Your powers of observation continue to serve you well," he teased her nonetheless.

"I'm a woman, what can I say?" she said. "But seriously. If you two want to go, I can stay with Anna," she said, wavering a little but determined.

Sam shared a glance with Dean. "I think it's too risky," Dean said.

Sam sighed. "We don't really have an option. It's either that, or she goes with you and I stay." He paused, letting his brother think of what he'd rather do.

"I think we should get some sleep, then Athena and I can head out early in the morning, if she wants to. If not, I'll go on my own," Dean stated. "Sam, you need to stay with Adriana for now. The two of us," He paused and motioned to himself and Athena, "will gather information tomorrow and interview the detective who worked this case, then we'll head back here and brainstorm with you, college boy," He teased his little brother. Dean got up and began to make for the door, Athena silently following him, surreptitiously stretching out her limbs. "Oh and Sammy? Generally when people's eyes are closed, they can't see anything. So if Adriana sleeps, so can you." Adriana nodded from her position on the bed. She'd barely moved all day, she was too scared, and Sam wouldn't have let her. Dean gently pulled the bedroom door closed behind him. "Right. Sleep for us as well, unless you have a guilty little secret hiding away?" Dean joked, trying, as always, to lighten the mood. Athena didn't reply. "What is it? You don't do you?" Dean quickly asked, sounding concerned.

When Athena replied, it was in a low, pained voice. "I do have a secret. Just not the sort Mary would kill for," she said, a small sad smile gracing her features. Dean didn't push it.

"Oh them, I have plenty of those," he said, lying on the couch. "I hope you know I'm totally not going to be able to sleep tonight."

Athena nodded. "It's my fault that Adriana could get hurt," she said quietly. "Everyone's blaming it on themselves, but I was the one who said it."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Jeez. If we're going to be that way, I could say it was Adriana's fault for getting in a fight with you. Or Lily's friend's fault for daring her. Or my fault for not reacting fast enough to the thing that killed Matt. It's everybody's and nobody's fault."

"Because that makes sense," Athena quipped.

"It sure does. Speaking of the fight, I just remembered that not only is Athena the goddess of wisdom, she's also the goddess of warfare. So, yet again, it's remarkably apt you can throw a decent punch."

Athena laughed. "Scared big boy?" she questioned teasingly.

Dean smirked. "Not in the slightest. Just curious."

Athena widened her eyes in mock innocence. "Oh but Dean, don't forget, curiosity killed the cat," she said with a wink, throwing his earlier words back in his face.

"No Athena. Ignorance did," he replied, remembering her reply.

Athena laughed. "Touché," She replied, shaking her head.

She grabbed the blankets that Sam had left for her earlier that night and spread them out on the floor, creating her own make-shift bed. She tossed the pillow down onto one end of her bed before lying down, staring up at the ceiling. "What other creatures have you hunted, Dean?" She questioned out of curiosity. Until tonight, she hadn't believed in the supernatural, but now? There was no way _not _to believe in it. It was impossible and she knew that she couldn't deny it.

Dean shrugged, leaning on an elbow to look at her. "Well, recently, Sam and I hunted a "woman in white" and a demon."

"I hope you realize I have no idea whatsoever what any of these things are. Except the demon sounds familiar. After all, one's sitting right in front of me," she said with a smirk.

"Oi! I am not a demon. I'm an angel," he said, attempting to place an innocent grin on his face and failing.

"I'm more inclined to believe that brother of yours over you, Dean," she said, laughing as he spoke.

"Okay, a 'woman in white' is a spirit who wanders the earth, looking for someone to help her cross over into the afterlife. Usually she's lost something, most probably her life."

"And let me guess, she wears white?"

"And the gold star goes to Athena. Shush you. I'm trying to explain mythology. There was a water spirit who had been killed and was seeking revenge. Basically, the spirits have been caused through violent deaths and wreak havoc until they a) get what they want or b) we kill 'em," he finished, leaning back against the chair and putting his hands behind his head.

Athena nodded. "And how do you kill them?"

"Your most basic method is salt on the body and torch it. Works on most spirits. But there are some creatures that take something else. The demon had to be exorcised while we were on a plane. That's always fun to do."

"I bet," she said, glancing at the clock. It was almost 5 in the morning. She hadn't realized how late they had been up trying to figure this thing out. It was as if realizing how late it was made her tired, and she yawned a bit, lying back down.

"Tired?" Dean asked and she nodded her head. "Get some sleep."

"How many hours of sleep do you get?" She asked.

He shrugged. "It depends on the week. Usually? Usually I get four to five hours," He told her with a smile. "That's about all I need."

"That's not enough for anyone," Athena stated.

Dean laughed. "It's enough for Sam and I," He said.

"No wonder you're so sarcastic. Takes no effort to do it, and you don't have any energy to contribute anything of value. Therefore, you need sleep," Athena said, rather please she had arrived at this conclusion.

Dean nodded. He knew he needed sleep, but if he slept that meant he had to end his conversations with Athena. And that was something he seemed very reluctant to do. He sighed. He could talk to her on the way to Indiana. He needed to be well rested in order to be on point for the job tomorrow. He needed to find out as much information as possible in order to help Adriana. So, he lied down onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling as well. At least they were gaining some headway in this case. They knew how Mary was finding her victims; they just didn't know how to stop her.

Dawn broke and Dean cracked open his eyes. He'd barely slept. What was it about this job that made him so nervous? It's because it's Adriana, he thought. He didn't know if he'd be able to live with himself if he lost her. He rolled over to find Athena, curled into a remarkably small ball for someone her height. She had been talking through the night, saying meaningless streams of gibberish. As she rolled, over more words came out of her mouth.

"Raise, fold, debt, NO," she muttered, her words barely comprehensible.

Dean sat up on the couch and crept around the edge, going to check on Sam and Adriana. He gently knocked and pushed open the door to find them also asleep. Sam's head was lolling back, his arms still wrapped around Adriana, who's face showed an innocent expression, one that seemed to ignore her current situation. The expression on Sam's face gave Dean the impression that the younger hunter hadn't had nightmares while he slept this time. He wondered if it was because he had actually slept in a place that he felt safe in, a place he could call home, or if it was because of the little blonde in his arms. Dean walked over to the two, gently shaking Sam's shoulder.

"Sammy. Sammy!" he said, trying to wake him. Sam opened his eyes, dazed.

"Hey Sam, you sleep alright? Dean asked softly. Sam nodded, still half asleep.

"Well, Athena and I are leaving for Indiana. You gonna be okay?"

"Yep. Thanks Dean," Sam said. Dean patted him on the shoulder and left the room. Athena was now awake and leaning against the bench.

"We have to go soon," she stated, stretching.

"Yes, we do," Dean said, walking around the room and grabbing various pieces of paraphernalia. Athena watched him, then sloped off to the bathroom to get changed, avoiding the mirror all the same. She returned in tight skinny jeans and a red blouse, quite similar to the one Adriana wore to the funeral. She had her hair tied into a pony tail and only now did Dean realize the length of it. Even tied up, it reached her mid-back.

"Okay, I'm ready. I don't need to get the table salt do I?" she asked jokingly. Dean smiled.

"No, rock salt tends to work better," he said as he flipped a sawed off shot gun and loaded it with rock salt. "We're off." He led the way out of Adriana's apartment, closing the door behind him.

The sound of the door closing woke Adriana who jolted up, startled. She glanced around, a terrified gaze in her eyes and Sam instantly sat up, trying to calm her down. "Drie, it's just Dean. He left with Athena. It's okay." She nodded and took a deep breath. "So what's our plan of attack for the day?" Sam asked her, trying to keep her calm. Adriana saw right through him.

"Today, I sit in my room, avoiding all reflective surfaces as not to die," she said cynically.

Sam almost smiled. "Are you gonna be okay if I make us some coffee?" Adriana hesitantly nodded. There was no real danger to her, she just didn't want Sam to leave. He got off the bed, the depression from his body weight slowly reforming and crossed the room. "Don't look," he said before pulling open the door.

This was Adriana. He wasn't going to take any chances. He switched the jug on, tapping his fingers on the bench top. He had an idea of how to solve this but Adriana wasn't going to like it. Dean definitely wasn't going to like it. But Sam didn't care. He needed to save his best friend. The jug boiled and he quickly made two cups of coffee, skillfully maneuvering his way through the messy room, blankets, clothes, the occasional gun. He knocked on the door with his elbow and opened it quickly. Adriana hadn't moved. He smiled as he handed her a cup.

"Thanks," She said softly, taking a sip of the coffee. It seemed to wake her up more and she sat up straighter. "How are we going to stop her?"

Sam shrugged. He would wait until Dean got back, once they had more information on Mary, to tell them all about his idea. He wasn't even sure at the moment if it would work. "Hopefully, Dean and Athena can come up with more info that can help us."

"Let's hope so."

Sam glanced down. "I'm sorry about..." He sighed motioning to a covered up mirror. "If we hadn't come into town you'd be fine."

Adriana gave a soft laugh. "If you guys hadn't come into town, a lot more people would be dying and we wouldn't know how to stop it." She saw his expression and sighed. "Sammy, I'm a hunter. No, I don't want to be, but I am. You can't blame yourself for every dangerous situation I get thrown into."

"Dean was really the only one that enjoyed this lifestyle."

"And our fathers, Sam. That last hunt... I couldn't have stopped him if I tried," she said, the pain in her voice obvious.

"I know Drie. Anymore than I couldn't have stopped Dad from running off and looking for this... this _thing_that killed mom and Jess".

"What actually happened?" Adriana asked in a soft voice. Sam shook his head before speaking.

"I got home, she wasn't there... I woke up. She was there. On the ceiling. Dripping blood, just like mom. And then she just burst into flames. Gone," he said, his voice barely audible.

"Sam... I'm really sorry," she said and hugged him gently. He wrapped his arms around her, trying not to let her show how much it meant to him. They stayed that way for about thirty seconds before Sam pulled back, trying to figure what the hell was going on in his head.

Meanwhile, Dean and Athena were making good time to Indiana. Athena seemed to enjoy the drive, more so than Dean, who was awfully quiet for once. She glanced over at him, trying to study his expression but it was unreadable. To her, she didn't know if that was normal or not, but to someone who knew him, they would know he was always unreadable with his emotions when someone close to him was hurting. Because he would always blame himself for it. No matter who's fault it really was, he took personal responsibility.

"Dean?" Athena asked quietly. "You okay?"

He glanced over at her. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"May I ask you a question?"

"You just did but go ahead," he said.

"Are you afraid of the dark?"

Dean looked over at her. "What sort of question _is_that?"

She smirked."A very just and relevant one. Now answer it!"

"Hell yeah I'm afraid of the dark! Just not quite as afraid as I am as flying."

"You hate flying?" she said, surprise in her voice. Dean seemed like the sort of person not to have any mundane weaknesses like _flying_.

"It terrifies me. Why, what are you afraid of?"

Athena considered his words for a moment. "Well, certainly not the dark. My theory was, if I can't see the monsters, they can't see me."

Dean snorted with laughter, trying to contain it but cracking up anyway. "That is the most ridiculous theory I've ever heard."

Athena playfully hit him on the arm. "Hey, it worked when I was innocent and naive and didn't know about all this," she said, sweeping her arm across Dean's equipment in the back seat. "But really... I'm afraid of deep water. I almost drowned as a kid. It absolutely terrifies me."

Dean nodded. "Flying and water. We make a good team," he said with a wink.

Athena laughed. "Yeah, a perfect team." She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "So, what are we going to do in Indiana?"

"We're gonna talk to the Detective that worked on the Mary Worthington case a while back," Dean explained. He tore his eyes off of the road for a second to glance over her wardrobe choice. "Well, I'm gonna talk to him. You don't exactly look like an FBI agent. And you don't have a badge."

"I could look like an agent if I wanted to, thank you very much. You don't look like law enforcement either. Before you even showed me those creds, I knew you were a fake," she said knowingly.

"Oh? Pray tell, do share."

She paused, as if having some internal debate. "My dad's been in trouble with the law. I got pretty good at picking out the agents. When you walked in, you just didn't have the attitude. You were much too..." she stopped, searching for a word, "cocky? Yes. And you didn't exactly keep a low profile, although Adriana saw to that."

"And your mysterious past continues to unfold," he replied.

"Not quite as mysterious as yours, I imagine. But if you do need back up, I can help?" she offered.

Dean nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He paused, turning back to the road. "You know... if we can get you a skirt that looks professional, I can say you're an agent-in-training," He told her.

Athena nodded. "That sounds good."

Dean nodded, not saying anything else as he drove on down the road, hoping they could find something that would be of use.

Sam sighed, trying to find more information on Mary Worthington. He needed something to keep him occupied or else he would go insane from worry about Adriana who was now curled up against his side, sleeping. Nothing. Nothing at all. Funny how the Internet could be so helpful at times and so useless at others. A noise escaped from Adriana's lips and he looked over at her, closing the laptop. She rolled over and stretched, her eyelids fluttering open.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Sam smiled at her. "Hey yourself. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. I mean, bored but I don't feel like my eyes are about to spontaneously combust."

Sam laughed. Adriana would have to be one of the only people he knew who would make jokes when their death was imminent, Dean being the other. "That's always a good thing. I mean, I like your eyes."

"You like my eyes?"

"Your eyes are blue like the ocean and baby, I'm lost at sea."

Adriana stared at him, before laughing as well. "That is _so_ something Dean would say. Sam, please do me a favor and _never_say anything like that to any girl again," she said cheekily.

"Your wish is my command."

Adriana hit him on the shoulder. "Stop it! How is it possible that your brother is such an ass, and your such a gentleman?"

"Honestly? I don't know. Maybe it's the same way that you can be a stubborn, aggressive woman sometimes, and at others, you're totally sweet. It's a bit disarming," he finished.

"Aggressive? I'm never aggressive," she said, pouting and Sam could only laugh.

"Yes, like right now you're simply playing innocent," He joked with her and she crossed her arms over her chest, still pouting and still leaning against him.

"So, what are you searching?" She asked. "If you were Dean, I'd assume you were looking at porn," She joked with a laugh.

Sam spluttered. "No. Noooo. I was looking up any more files on Mary Worthington," he said quickly, blushing.

"And?"

"Nothing. As usual. I hope Dean gets back soon."

"Not as much as I do."

"Can't argue there," he said, while the plan continued to formulate in his head.

Dean and Athena reached Indiana and pulled into a department store. "Right. We need to get you looking... agent like," he said, killing the engine.

Athena looked at him. "Agent like? Oh how terribly eloquent of you."

Dean rolled his eyes as he hustled her into the shop, making his way over to the women's clothing. He picked up various items, muttering to himself and discarding an awful lot. "Nope... wrong cut... wrong colour... too long."

Athena stood there disbelieving. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were gay."

Dean glanced up in surprise and paused, before shooting her an evil grin. "But daaaaarling, of course I am. Besides, this color would be _all _wrong on you."

Athena shook her head and grabbed the skirts off him, walking to the changing rooms. Dean followed her and leaned against the wall as she pulled the thin white curtain closed. He grinned to himself as her saw her silhouette, illuminated by the ceiling lights, through the curtain. He looked around the store quickly. Nothing of importance was around. The curtain twitched open. Athena stepped out in a figure hugging grey skirt, much like the one Adriana had worn to the funeral.

Dean whistled appreciatively. "Perhaps a little short, but that could work in our favor."

Athena rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you're exploiting me for the greater good of the investigation and not your own gain."

Dean pasted a mock wounded expression on his face and Athena stepped back into the changing room, returning out holding the skirt and in her figure hugging jeans. They walked to the checkout and bought the skirt with no issues, and then back into the parking lot. "You owe me fifty bucks," Dean said, grinning as they crossed the car park.

Athena nudged him with her shoulder. "Dream on fruitcake," she said. A sudden thought struck her. "I'll pay you the money if you let me drive!"

A worried expression crossed Dean's face. "No. You can have the skirt for free."

Athena pouted but climbed into the passenger seat. "I do know how to handle a car you know," she stated, a bit miffed.

"A car? But not this car. Besides," he said, smoothly pulling away, "I don't trust woman drivers."

"You have got to be the most sexist pig I've ever met."

They bantered another five minutes before they reached the house of the detective who had investigated the murder of Mary Worthington. Dean killed the engine. "What's your last name?" he queried as he climbed out of the car.

"Mclean."

"Well, Agent Mclean, this is it," he said as he knocked on the door.


	4. Bleed It Out

**Disclaimer: Do not own Supernatural.**

The door opened to see an African man standing there. He had dark skin and while his skin was wrinkled from age, his eyes had a young expression in them. "Can I help you?" He asked and Dean nodded, pulling out his badge and flipping it to reveal his name and agency. "You're feds?" The man asked in surprise. "What can I do to help you guys? I didn't realize I was doing anything that was worthy of you guys looking into."

"I'm Agent McKinley and this is my agent-in-training, Agent McLean," He told the man. "We're here to ask you a couple of questions about the case you were involved in a few years ago. The victim's name was Mary Worthington," He said. "What can you tell us about the case?"

The man stepped aside, allowing them to enter. "I was on the job for 35 years-detective for most of that. Now everybody packs it in with a few loose ends, but the Mary Worthington murder—that one still gets me."

Dean nodded. "What exactly happened? We know Mary was 19, lived by herself. We know she won a few local beauty contests, dreamt of getting out of Indiana, being an actress. And we know the night of March 29th someone broke into her apartment and murdered her, cut out her eyes with a knife."

The detective nodded. "That's right."

Athena spoke up. "See sir, when we asked you what happened, we wanted to know what you think happened." Dean glanced at her, quite impressed with the way she was presenting herself. She did play the part of an FBI agent very well.

The detective glanced around before going over to a filing cabinet and pulling out some papers in a manila folder. He handed it to Dean. "Technically I'm not supposed to have a copy of this." He motioned for Dean to open the folder to which he did. Inside was the same picture that he had printed out last night with Sam's help. "Now see that there? T-R-E?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"I think Mary was trying to spell out the name of her killer," The detective told the two.

"You know who it was?" Athena asked.

"Not for sure. But there was a local man, a surgeon-Trevor Sampson." The detective pulled a paper out and it had a picture of a man on it. "And I think he cut her up good."

Dean took the picture and studied it. "Apart from the name, did you have any other reason to suspect him?" Dean asked.

"It's hard to say, but the way her eyes were cut out…it was almost professional," He said.

"But you could never prove it?" Dean asked.

The detective sat down. "No. No prints, no witnesses. He was meticulous."

"Is he still alive?" Dean asked.

"Nope." The detective sat down and sighed. "If you ask me, Mary spent her last living moments trying to expose this guy's secret. But she never could."

"Where's she buried?" Dean questioned.

The detective shook his head. "She wasn't. She was cremated."

"What about that mirror?" Dean asked. "It's not in some evidence lockup somewhere is it?"

Once again, the detective shook his head. "Ah, no. It was returned to Mary's family a long time ago."

"You have the names of her family by any chance?" Athena asked, speaking up again.

The detective nodded and walked over to the computer, printing out a list of the names of Mary Worthington's closest relatives. He handed it to Athena and Dean nodded at the detective. "Thank you for your help," He said before leading the way out to his car. "All right," He stated as he got in. "Let's head back to Adrie's apartment and see if they can help us figure anything out further."

While Dean and Athena sped back to Adriana's apartment, Sam had attempted to remove everything in the lounge and kitchen that was reflective in order to give Adriana a change of scenery. He had pulled down all her pictures, placing them in the garage and covered the windows with cloths. He led her out, holding her hand, enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his.

"Now Drie. If you see anything. ANYthing. You're to tell me. I don't care if you do it by screaming or what but you have to let me know." She nodded in understanding and lay down on the couch. The ringing of a cell phone broke the silence. Sam scrambled to find it, located it under a huge stack of research and answered it.

"Hello?" Adriana could hear the crackling of static on the other end, and the brief pauses as they replied. "Okay." Sam said and nodded, closing the phone. "That was Dean. They found something and they're on their way back now" he said in answer to Adriana's questioning look. She settled back on the couch rubbing her eyes. Sam looked over at her in concern. "You okay? They shouldn't be more than three hours."

"Yeah, my eyes are just sore, not sore like that, just generally sore. And I'm really tense."

Sam got up from his seat at the table. "Do you want a massage?" he asked.

Adriana's eyes lit up, a small fire returning to her usually burning sapphires. "Mmhmm." she murmured.

Sam crouched down behind her and placed his fingers on her shoulders, kneading gently. She closed her eyes, temporarily forgetting the dire situation she was in. "Maybe your eyes are sore because you're tired," He said quietly.

"I've been sleeping all day. That's about all I can do," She told him, her eyes still closed. "I don't wanna sleep anymore. I wanna do something. I wanna go out of this damn house and help you guys out on this case."

"Adrie. Right now you are the case. I'm not risking anything with you, okay."

Adriana's eyes met his. "Why do you care what happens to me so much?" she asked, curiosity in her voice.

Sam's jaw dropped as if she'd asked an incredibly stupid question. "Because. You're my best friend. You're family Drie! I would never leave you."

She smiled. "That's exactly how I feel about you."

"You understand me then?"

"Yes, I do. Sam... Do you still miss her?" She didn't need to say Jessica's name.

"Everyday. But you and Athena are the only woman I've been around for a long period of time since then." He smiled at her softly after a moment. "But you make it easier."

That was the truth. He didn't need to explain why because she didn't need an explanation. He stopped massaging her shoulders, but his hands remained where they had been as she leaned back against him. The door banged open and Sam jumped slightly, digging his hands into Adriana's shoulder. He quickly moved them to cover her eyes, regardless of what or who it might be.

"Relax, it's only me," Dean called as he walked in, dropping his car keys on the table. Athena followed him, still in her 'agent' outfit and quickly shut the door. Sam rolled his eyes, knowing Dean would've had something to do with her clothes, or rather, lack of. "Sorry for breaking up the deep moment," Dean said in a tone that indicated he wasn't sorry at all, when he saw Sam protectively leaning over Adriana.

"It was only as deep as your brain, Dean," Adriana retorted.

"In other words, not at all," Sam finished as he straightened up and stepped away from Adriana.

"Ouch. What's with all the animosity?" Dean asked, acting wounded. Athena crossed the room and adjusted a sheet that was beginning to fall down, giving Sam a small smile as she did so.

"So, what did you guys find out?" Adriana asked as she turned to face Dean and the others.

"Well, we found out that Mary Worthington was murdered in front of a mirror with her eyes cut out by a surgeon named Trevor Sampson," Dean stated, handing Sam a piece of paper. "That's the list of nearest family members."

Sam nodded and pulled out his cellphone. "So, we need to find out where that mirror went?" He asked.

Dean nodded. "Yep. That sounds about as much as we can do right now."

Sam gave a nod of his head before grabbing one of Adriana's phone books and looked up the first name on the list before dialing the number that was beside the name. "Hello? Hi. I'm Daniel Lynn and I heard you had a mirror that was very antique with you..." Sam described the mirror to the man then paused as he began to talk. "Oh really? Ah that's too bad Mr. Worthington. I would have paid a lot for that mirror. Okay, well maybe next time. All right, thanks." He hung up the phone and turned to Dean who was waiting for an explanation.

"So?" Dean pushed.

"So that was Mary's brother. The mirror was in the family for years, until he sold it one week ago to a store called Estate Antiques. A store in Toledo," Sam explained.

"So wherever the mirror goes, that's where Mary goes?" Adriana asked, looking between the two brothers and Sam turned to her.

"Her spirit's definitely tied up with it somehow," The younger hunter spoke.

"Isn't there an old superstition that says mirrors can capture spirits?" Dean asked and Athena nodded, feeling proud that she could help out with a bit of information.

"Yeah there is. Yeah, when someone would die in a house people would cover up the mirrors so the ghost wouldn't get trapped," She explained.

"So Mary dies in front of a mirror, and it draws in her spirit," Dean said.

"Yeah but how could she move through like a hundred different mirrors?" Adriana questioned and Athena glanced at her, wishing she knew what questions to ask so she could be more helpful like the blonde girl.

"I don't know, but if the mirror is the source, I say we find it and smash it," Dean told Adriana.

Sam shrugged, an unsure expression on his face. "Yeah... I don't know, maybe."

"So, the next step is, how do we find her?" Dean asked. The group fell silent, all considering ideas.

"We need to find the source mirror and summon her," Sam said quietly.

Dean turned on him. "Oh yeah? How do you propose on doing that. First of all, it has to be someone with guilt, and second, can you imagine the danger they'd be in."

"It's the only way," Sam replied grimly.

"I'll do it, she's already after me, all I'd need to do would be-" Adriana started.

"NO!" Both Sam and Dean cut her off.

Adriana looked at them both, glaring. "Look, I'm a hunter whether you like it or not."

Sam shook his head. "It's not happening, Drie. I'll do it. I'll summon her."

"Is this about Jessica, Sam?" Dean questioned. "You think that's your dirty little secret that you killed her somehow? Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna kill you. Now listen to me—It wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place."

"I don't blame you," Sam said quietly.

"Well you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done." Dean shook his head. He couldn't believe his brother was really wanting to summon Mary.

"I could've warned her."

"About what?" Adriana spoke up, quietly. "You didn't know what was gonna happen! And besides, all of this isn't a secret. It's not gonna work with Mary anyway."

Dean nodded his head. "I know all about it."

Sam shook his head. "No you don't."

Dean looked surprised. "I don't what?"

"You don't know all about it. I haven't told you everything," Sam replied quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Dean was clearly confused.

Sam smiled slightly, a teasing grin on his face. "Well it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?"

Dean shook his head. "No. I don't like it. It's not gonna happen, forget it."

Sam gave his older brother a determined look. "Dean, Adriana is gonna die unless we do something about it. And you know what? Who knows how many more people are gonna die after that? Now we're doing this. You've got to let me do this."

Dean knew his brother could be as stubborn as hell and the look in his eyes showed he wasn't backing down. "Fine. But I am going to be there Sam. And if you die, I swear to god I'll kill you."

Sam nodded but Adriana stood up angrily. "So what, it's okay for Sam to get hurt but not me? Why are you letting him do this Dean!" she said in a raised voice.

Dean shook his head sadly. "There's no other way, Drie."

"Yeah there is. There's me! Why are you listening to him?"

"For one thing, I know Sam can handle himself and for another, neither of us want to lose you."

"That's a bit rich! Maybe I don't want to lose Sam! And I can bloody well handle myself better than you ever could, Dean Winchester!" she screamed at him before storming across the room and slamming the door.

There was a pause. "I'll go. If you try, she'll slap you or kill you or something, not that you don't deserve it," Sam said, following her path. The door closed softly behind him and Athena and Dean could hear murmured voices.

"Well. This is awkward," Athena said quietly as she glanced around the room. "Dean, as much as I don't get along with her, you know you can't treat her like she's a baby. I mean, I get that she's like your baby sister, but you can't protect her from everything-especially with what you guys do."

Dean sighed. He knew Athena had a point, but that didn't mean he was going to tell her she was right. He rarely ever told anyone that. He crossed the room and knocked on the closed door softly. "Sammy, we gotta go."

Sam appeared at the door. "Just gimme a friggin' second will you?" he snapped before closing it.

"So. Hows this all going to work?" Athena asked.

"You'll be staying here with Adriana, there's too much risk to let her come."

"Dean, you're doing it again. The protective thing. You know she'll want to be there... Have you ever asked her if she likes Sam for more than a friend?" she questioned.

Dean looked up sharply. "Of course not. Why?"

Athena sighed. "Just the way she reacted... It was overly protective."

Dean shook his head. "He's her best friend, always has been, since she was three and he was four, the two of them were inseparable," He said. A light laugh escaped his lips as he thought back to all the memories of them all as kids. "We didn't make very many friends because we travelled around so much, moving from motel to motel." He sighed. Maybe that was one of the reasons he didn't get close to people. He didn't know how to have normal friendships because of how he grew up.

"Maybe she's beginning to see him as more than just a best friend?" Athena suggested softly as she glanced at the closed door to the room where Sam and Adriana were.

"Surely not," Dean muttered following her gaze. "But Sam claims he's still in love with Jessica! That's why he doesn't bang random chicks," Dean said, looking down guiltily at the last sentence.

"I don't know. It's possible to be getting over a person and still love them and love someone else. I wouldn't know, I've never been in love."

Silence engulfed the kitchen again, until movement was heard in the bedroom. Sam swung the door open, a smug look on his face. "We're leaving, Drie's staying and so is Athena," he said.

Dean's jaw dropped. "Dude, how is that even possible? She was completely psycho."

Athena, however, looked less surprised at this news and rolled her eyes knowingly at Dean, giving him an 'I told you so' look. "So, I just need to make sure she doesn't see her reflection and if she does, smash it?" Athena questioned.

Sam nodded. "Yep. That about covers it," He stated as he grabbed his duffel bag from off of a table and walked over to a small closet in a hallway. He pulled out a couple of crowbars and tossed them to Dean who put them into the bag before zipping it up. Dean gathered up the papers off of the table and put them in a folder before handing it to Sam as he walked up to him. "We got everything?" The young hunter asked as he grabbed the folder.

Dean nodded. "I think we're good. I'm gonna let Drie know we're leaving," He said before crossing the room and quietly entering into the blonde's bedroom where she was curled up onto the bed once again. He knocked on the wall beside the door softly. "Hey." He waited for her to glance up before continuing. "Look, I wanted to let you know we were on our way, and that we'd be back as soon as possible." He wanted to say he was sorry, but those words just wouldn't form on his lips, but she knew what he meant to say. She had been living with him and his expressions for almost eighteen years.

"I'm sorry too, Dean. I know you're just trying to protect me, but you gotta understand, sometimes I don't need protecting." Dean nodded, unable to speak and pulled her in for a hug, holding her close. He got up to leave. "Hey Dean? I can handle myself better than you," she said with a wink. Dean laughed. Adriana always had to have the last word, didn't she?

He walked out into the living room with the others. "All right. Let's go," He said, nodding at Sam who led the way to the front door. Dean turned around to Athena. "Keep her away from her reflection," He reminded her before disappearing out the door after Athena nodded, watching the guys drive off and hoping they hurried.

A little ways into the car ride, Dean turned to Sam. "So, how exactly did you get Drie to calm down enough to let us leave her?" He asked his little brother. Maybe Athena was right, maybe she wasn't, but he was determined to figure it out.

"How did I calm her down? Well, I spoke to her as opposed to yelling at her and I just let her rage out. It's worked before. I listened to her Dean. You should try it some time."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Sam. Can I ask you an odd question?" Dean said in a strangely serious voice.

"You can ask, but doesn't mean you'll get an answer," Sam replied warily. He knew Dean too well, he'd twist whatever he agreed to.

"If you had to choose between saving Drie or saving Jess, who would you choose?"

Sam turned to Dean, shock plain on his face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. He didn't know how to answer that. He wasn't sure. He had known Jessica for only a few years, but he had built an emotional connection with her and had fallen in love. With Adriana, she had always been his best friend, always been there for him when he needed someone to talk to. He was able to himself around her, and he didn't have to lie about his life with her. She was someone he didn't have to build a connection with because the connection was already there.

Dean was waiting for an answer and Sam found he had one he could quite easily say in his head, but had trouble forming the words. He opted for a third option.

"Neither, I'd save you Dean. After all, we all know you can't 'handle yourself' and that's why you bring me along," he said, smirking slightly.

Dean glared at him, not happy that he had avoided his question and insulted him in one breath. "You keep telling yourself that, Sammy, the next time I save your sorry, sorry ass." The phone rang and Dean drove with on hand, skillfully maneuvering the Impala. "Y'ello?". With only the hum of the engine, Sam could strain to hear the words on the other end.

"Hey, how far are you?" It was Adriana's voice, and she asked it in merely a questioning tone, no concern.

Dean looked at his speedometer. "I reckon another half hour. We'll ring you when we get there Drie."

A heavy sigh on the other end caused the phone's speaker to vibrate with static. "You better. Bye Deanie."

Dean tossed his phone down with a little more force than was needed. "I hate that name!"

Sam laughed at his older brother. "Now you know how it feels. Maybe you'll stop calling me Sammy." He watched his brother's lips form a smirk.

"No. I'll still call you Sammy, Sammy." He grinned innocently as his brother who shook his head before turning his attention back to the road in front of them. It was getting late, and the sky was already beginning to go from light to dark.

Athena had decided that it would probably be best to talk and befriend Adriana since they were stuck in the apartment together for the next few hours. She walked into the blonde's bedroom and sat down beside her on the bed. "So, how'd you get mixed up in this life?"

Adriana shrugged. "I kinda grew up in it. It's all I've ever really known."

"But you didn't want it?"

"No, not at all. Neither Sam or I did. We were kids and we were raised as warriors." She looked down. "But I can't help that think maybe if I had of been a hunter, I could've saved Dad."

"Wasn't he killed by a demon?" Athena asked.

"Yeah," she said sadly.

"Well, aren't they really hard to kill?"

"What would you know about the supernatural?" Adriana asked, not accusing, just curious. Athena shrugged.

"I was talking to Dean, he kinda caught me up on the evil creatures in the dark side of it,"

Adriana seemed surprised but not unhappy. "You find all this interesting and fascinating, don't you?" She asked her and the dark-haired girl nodded.

"Are you going to start travelling with Sam and Dean again after this?" Athena asked the blonde, but she shook her head.

"I told you. I didn't want this life. I'm not gonna go back into it unless I absolutely have to," She said. "The boys can handle it on their own. They don't need me in the way."

"So you're just not going to see them again for six years or so?"

"How did you know that's how long I hadn't seen him for?" Adriana asked mildly.

Athena blushed slightly. "Oh, Dean and I were talking."

Adriana smirked. "Talking? Is that what they call it now days?" she said, jokingly.

Athena gave her a slight glare. "Very funny. We were talking!"

Adriana nodded. "Yeah. I believe you," She said, but her tone indicated she did anything, but believe what she said.

"Why didn't you like this life?" Athena asked. "I mean, it seems so cool!"

Adriana shrugged. "It can be exciting when you first start out... but if you're raised into this life... it's not fun. I was three when I started. Where most girls got a Barbie doll for their thirteenth birthday, I got a Colt 1911. Thirteen year olds should not be allowed to carry a firearm." She sighed, glancing down. "Sammy, Dean and I, we were raised as soldiers. We never got to live the life normal kids were allowed. The only friends we had were each other because we moved around so much."

"Well, then it's a good thing you're such good friends with Sam then" Athena said, probing subtly. "May I ask you a question" she continued.

"Sure thing" Adriana said.

"Did you ever... like Dean? As in _like_like?" Athena asked, blushing slightly again. Adriana looked up, not exactly surprised.

"I did. I had a hell of a crush on him when I was about thirteen. But alas, he never saw me as anything other than 'Drie', his little sister. Which probably worked out well..." she said, trailing off cryptically. "Athena. I know you like him". Athena didn't respond, neither confirming nor denying.

Athena shook her head. "I just find him very attractive is all," She told the blonde who nodded her head in understanding. Dean was very attractive-there was no denying that.

Adriana smiled at her, and Athena found it rare that the blonde would grace her with a real smile that wasn't sarcastic. "If you stay around him long enough, you'll find yourself falling for him. It's impossible not to."

Athena blushed some more. "Right... I'll keep that in mind," She said quietly. She was already falling for him, for his looks and charms at least.

The phone broke the companionable silence and Adriana flipped it open with ease. "Hey Sam," she said after he spoke. There was a few minutes pause. "You better be careful. Because if you die, I'll kill you." Pause. "Oh believe me Sam, I'd make it possible," She said into the phone, deadly serious. "Okay, ring us as soon as I can look in a mirror without it cracking," she said before flipping the phone closed. "They found the antique shop with the mirror," she told Athena, who'd gathered this much fro eavesdropping on the phone call.

"So, what now we just sit here and wait? That's a bit unfair." Athena asked.

Adriana nodded in agreement. "I know. But Sam's stubborn and Dean's controlling and to be honest, I don't want to die just yet."

Dean held a flashlight over Sam's head as he slowly began to pick the lock to the antique mirror shop where the mirror they needed was. After a few more moments, Sam finally managed to get the door opened and he walked inside, shining his own flashlight around. Inside, there were more than a hundred mirrors lining the room. Some were hanging up and others were simply propped up against the walls. Dean stepped in behind Sam and groaned as he shone his flashlight around the room as well, silently hating his life.

"Well, that's just great," The older brother stated. He pulled the picture of Mary Worthington's dead body out so he could examine the mirror. He showed it to Sam before glancing back up at the mirrors. "All right, let's start looking."

The two brothers split up, each taking a different side of the store and began to look for the mirror they had just seen in the picture. As they searched, a light from an alarm flashed throughout the room as they walked around. Dean turned around, facing the direction Sam had gone and shone his flashlight on his brother's back, trying to get his attention. Sam, a few moments, turned around to face Dean, shielding his face with hands from the bright light.

"Maybe they've already sold it?" Dean suggested and Sam shrugged as he turned back around, shining his flashlight into a corner of the room, illuminating the exact replica of the mirror from the picture.

"I don't think so." He sighed as Dean walked over beside him and pulled out the picture to reveal it was the mirror they were looking for.

He nodded. "That's it." He sighed as he glanced up at Sam. "You sure about this?"

"As sure as I'll ever be" Sam said. He took a deep breath in and faced the mirror, preparing himself. "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary". He paused and looked at Dean, determined. Dean had to mentally stop himself from dragging Sam away, from saving him "Bloody Mary". The words echoed away into silence, and both Sam and Dean stared into the mirror in trepidation. Nothing happened. Sam didn't relax, still tense. Bright white lights flashed across the antique store, making Dean and Sam spin quickly.

"I'll go check it out," Dean said as he began to step away, before turning back and handing his brother the crow bar. "Smash anything that moves, got it?"

Sam nodded grimly and clenched his fingers around the metal as Dean walked over to the door and peered out of the small window in it. "Crap." He groaned as he saw a cop car sitting out in front of the store. He set his crowbar down against the wall and stepped outside towards the police, holding his hands up slightly to show he wasn't dangerous.

"Hold it," One of the officers said as he studied Dean.

"Whoa, guys, false alarm. I tripped the system," Dean told the cops, hoping to lie well enough that they would just leave him alone so he could get back inside to Sammy.

"Who are you?" The other one asked.

"I'm the boss' kid," Dean told them.

The first police officer gave Dean a strange look. "You're Mister Yamashiro's kid?" He asked, obviously surprised.

Dean groaned inwardly. Crap. "Yeah. I'm adopted."

The second officer shook his head, not believing him. "You don't look like him," He said as he walked behind Dean.

"Like I said, I'm adopted."

The first officer shook his head. "Yeah." He didn't believe and Dean knew he was running out of time.

Dean glanced at the one in front of him, then behind him. "You know, I just—I really don't have time for this right now." He punched the cop in front of him first, then as the second one moved to grab him, he backhanded him then punched the first officer again. Both men fell to the floor and Dean didn't give them a second thought as he raced back inside to make sure Sam was still okay. He didn't know if he had broken the mirror or if Mary had even appeared, but he had to make sure his little brother was all right.

Sam had kept his focus on the mirror. Nothing. Nothing for seconds. Minutes. Something flickered in a mirror beside the big one and Sam flicked out and smashed it without thinking. He returned his gaze to the mirror with his heart pounding. Something in his reflection seemed off. He looked closer to see something trickling out of the corner of his eyes. He reached up to his eye and brought his hand away to find blood. Reflection Sam was wearing a demonic expression as it spoke.

"You killed her," it said as blood continued to pour out of its eyes, the flow untouched, the only difference from real sad.

"No," Sam said in a cracked voice.

"Yes you did. You killed her, you didn't warn her. You'd been having those dreams for months before she died," it continued and Sam's knees buckled, falling to the ground, his grip on the crowbar loosening. "You were so desperate to ignore them, to believe they were just dreams. How could you ignore them like that? How could you leave her alone to die? You dreamt it would happen!" Before it could continue with the guilt trip, Dean came in and smashed his crowbar through the mirror, shards flying everywhere.

He bent down beside Sam. "Sam? Sammy?" He asked as he held Sam's head in his hands, wiping some of the blood away.

Sam smiled weakly. "It's Sam."

Dean rolled his eyes then wiped some more blood away. "God, are you okay?"

Sam nodded. "Uh, yeah." He spoke weakly but Dean took that as a good sign that he was at least speaking.

He pulled Sam up to his feet and Sam's arm over his neck, and they began to walk out towards the front door. However, a noise behind them caused Dean to turn around, and they both say Mary slowly coming out of the frame of the mirror. She began to crawl over the broken glass that was laying on the floor from when Dean had smashed her mirror and a force unknown to the brothers, knocked them both onto the ground. They both began to feel blood trickle down their faces from their eyes, but before Mary could reach them, Dean reached over and grabbed a mirror, holding it so that it was in front of Mary, forcing her to see her own reflection.

Her reflection began to speak to her. "You killed them! All those people, you killed them!" It screeched to her. The guilt began to wash over herself, and she started to choke before melting into a pile of blood.

Dean slammed the mirror he was holding in his hands against the floorboards and it shattered, glass flying everywhere. He groaned, leaning back against the wood. "Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam called back as he also laid back.

"This has got to be like…what? 600 years of bad luck?" He asked and Sam chuckled to himself, still laying on the ground, the blood on both of their faces slowly beginning to dry. Leave it to Dean to make a joke after almost dying. "Right then," Dean said, rolling over and hauling himself up, before giving Sam his hand and walking out of the store. The cops were still lying on the ground and Sam raised his eyebrows. Dean shrugged in reply.

"Better get home to our dear little Princess," he said, smiling.

"First, we have dear little princesses and second, you better call her right now. Knowing Adrie, she'll be out the door in a second." Dean tossed his phone at Sam, who fumbled and caught it before looking at Dean in confusion. "She'll want to hear from you that you're okay. I can give you a couple of minutes if you like, then we are OUTTA here" he said, swinging the door of his beloved Impala open. Sam hesitantly dialed the number and put the phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone.

After Sam had called to let the girls know they had reached the antique store, Adriana put the phone down with a groan. "I'm going to go insane! I just want something to do!" She exclaimed, throwing herself back against the bed. She was going to go insane if she had to keep herself locked up in her room with everything covered so she couldn't see her own reflection. She groaned again, just wanting to get out and help. But, she was useless in this case and that's what bothered her the most. She could have helped out, but Sam and Dean refused.

"They'll be done soon enough," Athena told the blonde who sat up suddenly.

"I need coffee. I'll be back," She said, pushing herself off of the bed.

Athena stood up as well. "I don't think that's a good idea," She said, but Adriana waved her off, heading for the kitchen.

"Sam already covered everything in here. I'll be fine, I promise," She said as she made her way into the kitchen and Athena came out to sit in the living room.

She sat on the couch and grabbed a bottle on nail polish, a deep dark red, the colour of blood. Adriana hummed to herself as she pulled the cups down and got the coffee out. She reached forward to flick on the kettle when she noticed some sort of mark on it. She tried to use her fingernail to chip it off, peering closer to see what it was. Her reflection looked warped in the silver metal of the jug. Too late, she realized she could see her reflection and found herself unable to pull away as her eyes began to tingle. The jug showed two long streams of red liquid, exiting the corners of her eyes. The speaking began, the terrible screeching voice, except this time, Athena seemed not to notice. She wondered if the voice was actually there or all in her head as she collapsed to the floor, her knee's smashing into the tile.

"You killed him. You weren't there. Selfish little girl, YOU KILLED HIM!" Once again, Adriana brought her hands to her eyes, feeling the blood pour out more. A short gasp escaped her, and Athena turned at the sound, seeing a red liquid over her hands.

"Do you want some nail polish remover?" she asked, not realizing the situation. Then she saw the blood all down her arms, pooling on the floor and shot up.

"Adriana. Adriana! Can you hear me?" she said as Adriana continued to stare at the kettle, her breathing becoming labored as she continued to be entranced by her reflection. Athena tried to haul her away but Adriana couldn't be moved.

Athena stared at the girl, not knowing what to do. The blonde was going to die, and it was all going to be her fault. She grabbed the coffee pot and smashed it to the ground, but it had already started and couldn't be stopped. She watched as Adriana began to choke and cough, then as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Adriana began to gasp for air as if there wasn't enough of it for her to breathe. She coughed, trying to breathe faster. Athena started to say something, but the blonde's cellphone went off.

Athena stood up and grabbed it, trying not to sound freaked out after what she had just witnessed. "Hello?" Her voice was shaky.

"Hey, it's Sam... Is everything all right?"

"Well. Kinda. Not really. Adriana had another episode," she said as she kept a watchful eye on the girl, lying on the floor. There was a pause as Sam tried to comprehend what she just said.

"How is that possible? Is she okay?" he asked, his questions coming out in a frantic rush.

"She was making coffee, it was the kettle's reflection. I can assure you, it's entirely possible, I tried pulling her away, smashing the jug, nothing stopped it. But about a few minutes ago, it just... stopped. It was weird." Their breathing could be heard on both ends of the line.

"We just destroyed her. So maybe that's why it stopped," he said shortly.

"Oh. Adriana wants to speak to you," Athena said when she caught her motioning from the floor. She tossed the phone over to Adriana, who deftly caught it, ignoring the blood everywhere.

"Sammy?" she said, and on the other end, Sam heaved a sigh of relief, giving Dean a nod. That one word soothed his worries.

"Drie. You better be okay, because if you're hurt, I will haunt you when I die," he said, trying to put a light teasing tone into his voice to calm his racing heart.

"Sam. Don't worry about me. Are you okay?" she questioned, seeming afraid to hear the answer. The logical side of her told her to listen to Sam, and that he wouldn't be able to speak to her if he wasn't okay. But the irrational, logical side of her told her that Sam would not be okay to her until she could see him standing in front of her, undamaged.

Sam chuckled over the receiver. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Well, you hurry up and get back here so I know you're not lying to me," She told him and heard him chuckle once again.

"Yes, ma'am." Sam paused for moment and Adriana could faintly hear Dean in the background before Sam spoke again. "Dean said we're about ten minutes away, all right? Be there soon." And then he hung up the phone.

Adriana placed the cell phone beside her on the tile of her kitchen floor and leaned against a cabinet. Sam was okay, and the Winchesters had yet again saved the day. Everything was as it should be. The only downside to having everything fixed and back to normal? She knew the two boys would be leaving very soon to get onto the next case involving supernatural creatures, and that was something she didn't want to do. She didn't want them to leave because then it would be another six years until she saw them again. But she didn't want this life. She was going to have to make a decision.

Athena was on the floor in the kitchen, wiping up the blood on the floor. She wasn't overly bothered with blood or injuries, obviously she didn't love it, but it didn't upset her. It was natural. She thought about the events of the past week. The brothers had shown up, done their thing, and from what she'd gathered, they were going to leave very soon. She dumped a dirty cloth in the laundry, grabbing a broom to sweep up the shards of glass from the mirror that had lain untouched for three days.

"It's a good thing your room-mate didn't come home," she called to Adriana from the bathroom. Adriana came in, looking at her destroyed mirror.

"Yeah, I know, she went to California to see her brother," she said. "I'm gonna be paranoid about looking into a mirror for the rest of my life!"

"You just have to move on. Mary's gone," Athena told her logically. Adriana knew it made sense, but then again, Athena wasn't haunted by memories of the voice, the feeling in her eyes. She thought back to the night at the bar, when Athena had said it.

"Listen, Thena, I'm sorry for what I said about your dad in the bar." Athena stood up and looked down at her, utterly surprised and caught off guard. "I mean, obviously everyone here knows his story, but that was too far, I shouldn't have said it."

Athena blinked slowly and looked at the other girl. "Thanks. And it's okay. I overreacted. My whole life people have been making remarks like that and you just happened to do it on the day I was already pissed off," she said, smiling weakly.

Adriana nodded. "I really am sorry." But before Athena could say anything else, the door opened and Sam and Dean walked in, clearly tired. The blonde girl hopped up and rushed over to them. "You guys are all right? Right?"

Dean chuckled. "Yes, we're fine, Princess. Calm down."

"What's that?" Adriana asked, pointing to the dried blood on his face.

"Oh this?" Dean asked. "Blood." He shrugged as if it was nothing.

Adriana stared at him wide-eyed before turning to Sam. "What happened?"

"Basically what happened to you. Except the creepy lady actually came _out_of her mirror," he said, shuddering at the memory. Adriana hugged him.

"So how did you stop her?" Athena asked, interestedly. Dean glanced over at her

"Gave her a taste of her own medicine, so to speak. Pulled the mirror down in front of her and the curse hit her. She kinda just dissolved. Damn I'm good," he finished, smirking. Adriana leaned over, still holding Sam and smacked him around the back of his head.

"Yeah, because it was all you, and Sam didn't hugely risk his life, did he?"

"Not that I can recall," Dean said.

Adriana pulled away from Sam, glaring at Dean. "You never learn, do you?"

"I can only learn if I'm taught well, my dear."

Adriana stormed outside. "I need to see daylight for the first time in three days"

Dean shook his head. "She is _such_a live wire."

Sam shook his head, chuckling. "Because you don't like to get her started?" He raised an eyebrow at his older brother who shrugged.

"It's just so much fun," Dean replied with a cheeky grin and Sam rolled his eyes. Dean sighed as he too rolled his eyes after he realized his brother was waiting. "Fine. Should I go talk to her or should you?" He questioned his little brother.

"You can go and get your head bitten off for once," Sam said nobly. Dean stomped out in the same fashion Adriana had left the room with. Sam turned to Athena. "So..." he began. He was curious as to how Athena handled the situation. It didn't seem like she could've done anything to stop it. She smiled at him.

"Thanks. For stopping her. I don't know if I could have saved her... she was too far gone," Athena said, lowering her eyes.

"These things happen. Adriana is too stubborn to do exactly what she's told. I've said to her before one day it'll get her killed and it almost has several times. One time, we were on a hunt and I gave her a gun and told her to stay by this tree, right? She saw a butterfly and went to chase it. Admittedly, she was seven but still!" He became animated talking about memories of them

"What were you hunting that time?" Athena asked.

Sam racked his brains. "I think it was a Lycan."

Athena raised her eyebrows. "As in, a werewolf?"

"No, as in a Lycan, or Lycanthrope as they are properly called," Sam replied.

"There's a difference?"

Sam laughed. "You know, for someone who didn't know about the supernatural a week ago, you seem pretty informed."

Athena shrugged at him. "I read a lot. Only I thought it was fiction. But c'mon, tell me the differences."

"Okay," Sam began, counting the points off his fingers. "Lycans are created through a hereditary disease, whereas werewolves are bitten. They change when they want to and silver has no effect on them. Werewolves however, are forced to change at a full moon and it's very painful and they barely have conscious thoughts. And of course, werewolves are greatly affected by silver bullets. Because of all these flaws, Lycans are usually more dangerous," he finished, Athena nodding as she listened intently to his words.

"Wow. So, how'd you know all this? Study and research?" She asked.

"Some research, but my dad taught us a lot," He told her with a shrug. "Gotta know all you can about these creatures before you go out hunting them."

She nodded. She didn't realize there was so much to know about creatures. "That's a lot of information," She told him and he scoffed.

"Yeah. Tell me about it," He said as the door opened and Dean and Adriana came back in, this time Adriana was smiling and not trying to kill Dean.

"Right. Sammy. We're off," Dean said. His abrupt words killed the laid back mood in the room.

"Just like that?" Sam asked, once again hating his brother's ability to sever ties with anyone and everyone.

Dean nodded, although there was some sadness in his eyes. "Yep. Just like that."

Sam turned to Adriana and noticed that she'd lowered her head. "You're not coming, are you?" he asked, sadness in his voice.

Adriana kept her gaze on the ground. "No Sam. It's been great to see you but... I hate hunting. And who knows, I'd probably screw up something even when I _was_hunting," she said, trying to make light of the situation.

"I understand," he said, his hazel eyes meeting her clear blue one's. She sighed and looked away.

Athene glanced between the two brothers. "I wanna come with you."

Dean laughed as he turned to her. "No. You're staying here. You're not coming with."

Athena crossed her arms over her chest. "I know what's out there. I was just a part of her," She stated. "I can handle myself."

"This was one case!" Dean exclaimed. "This was child's play compared to what's out there! No. No way," He said shaking his head. "You're not coming with. I'm not gonna waste my time training and teaching you when we have to find our dad."

Athena put her hands on her hips. "So I'll follow you," she said, and Dean stood open-mouthed, hardly believing she was serious.

"You wouldn't be able to," he said.

"You wanna try me Dean? My dad and I evaded the government for five years! I got pretty good at spotting things. I want to come with you," she said. Dean looked at Sam who just shook his head.

"Why! You didn't even know any of this existed!" Dean exclaimed, becoming exasperated, but also wanting to know her answer.

"Why? Well. Here's the thing. I've lived most of my life in this town. It's a mundane existence. Okay, this stuff may be dangerous but it's cool as hell. If you teach me, I will learn. It would give you guys more cover to have a female, no-one suspects us useless looking types, I can pick up on things, and basically, I'll just follow you till you give in," she told him.

"I don't think you're useless looking," Dean offered, that having been the only thing he picked up on. Athena threw her hands in the air in frustration and turned to Sam.

"Okay look. I know why you do this. You're saving people. I want to save people, because I couldn't save my dad, okay? I don't want to be stuck doing nothing!" she said, pleading with Sam, her grey eyes whirling with emotion. At her words, Dean listened intently, cocking his head slightly.

Dean sighed. "You really want to come with us?"

Athena turned to him and nodded. "Yes. I want to help," She told him and he sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't believe he was about to say this.

"If you really want to help and come with us, and you promise you won't get in the way... then..." He sighed before speaking. "I guess... you can come." He closed his eyes briefly before speaking against quickly. "But I'm not babysitting. The first time you get in the way, you're going back home."

Athena stopped for a minute, then basically attacked Dean in a hug. He stumbled back from the onslaught of the tall girl but hugged her back, moving a hand to her ass, this noticed by Sam. She pulled away, smiling. Then she turned to Sam and hugged him too, just not with quite so much enthusiasm.

"Hell yeah!" she called and Sam couldn't help but smile at her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"Okay, now what?"

"_Now_we leave," Dean offered, shaking his head at her crazy antics. This would either be his biggest regret or best idea. Adriana was staring at him, a mixture of expressions on her face; disbelief; jealousy; happiness. He inclined her head slightly, as if to say, this is it.

"I'll go get my stuff and meet you here in half an hour?" Athena suggested. Sam nodded to her and she sauntered out the door.

"Dean! Are you drunk or something? WHY?" Adriana yelled at her as soon as the door closed.

"I dunno, man, I just feel like it might be time for a change."

"A CHANGE? This is too far."

Sam laughed at her, as did Dean as they collected all their stuff up. "See you in six years, Drie," Dean said, giving her a warm hug as he made his way to the door. He kicked it open, leaning against the frame. "You coming Sammy boy?" he called.

"You go get Athena, I'll meet you there," he said, not taking his eyes off Adriana.

"I don't take orders from you Sam," Dean said as he obeyed him. They heard the Impala roar away.

"I wish you would come with us, Drie," He said softly and she nodded, a longing look in her blue eyes.

"I do, too, Sam. But, I just... I can't. I've built a new life here. I have friends and a job... and I have classes. I can't just up and go." She glanced down. "It was good seeing you and Dean again, but... this is my life now. Here."

"You know we don't stay out of the hunting life for long," Sam said quietly.

She gave a weak laugh. "I know, but I can try, can't I?"

"And you'd be the most likely person I know who would succeed. Goodbye Adrie," he said, kissing her gently on the cheek, before he walked out the door. Adriana watched him go, before closing the door, on her past. Sam began walking to the bar, ignoring the light drizzle, when he heard the familiar throaty hum of an engine. Dean pulled up with Athena riding shotgun.

"You are kidding right? I always ride shotgun," he said, sulking as he opened the back door and climbed in.

"Not anymore apparently. Now. Educate her while we drive."

"What, no 'please'? Just "educate her"? Maybe I don't want to."

"Yeah well, maybe you don't get a choice in the matter," Dean said as he turned the music up and drove off.


	5. Follow You Home

While in the motel room they were staying at, Sam was sitting on his bed doodling on a notepad while Dean sat at a desk on Sam's laptop and Athena sat on the bed, bored. Dean glanced up at the two before going back to the computer. "All right. I've been cruisin' some websites. I think I found a few candidates for our next gig. A fishing trawler found off the coast of Cali-its crew vanished. And, uh, we got some cattle mutilations in West Texas. Hey." He noticed Sam wasn't paying attention. "Am I boring you with this hunting evil stuff?" He questioned his little brother.

Sam shook his head. continuing to doodle. "No. I'm listening. Keep going."

Dean gave his brother a careful look before going back to the computer. "And, here, a Sacramento man shot himself in the head. Three times." Sam hadn't glanced up, so Dean waved his hand in front of his face. "Any of these things blowin' up your skirt, pal?"

Sam ignored Dean. "Wait. I've seen this." He studied the picture further and nodded his head in confirmation of what he had just said.

Athena glanced at Dean. "Seen what?" She asked as Sam stood up and began to go through his duffel bag searching for something.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked as Sam pulled out a photo of the Winchester family when he was just a baby and compared the tree in the photo to the one in the picture he had just drawn and shook his head. It was an exact replica.

"Dean," Sam began turning to face his brother. "I know where we have to go next."

"Where?" Dean asked, confused.

"Back home-back to Kansas."

"Okay, random. Where'd that come from?"

Athena rolled over on the bed. "You were born in Kansas?"

"Yeah," Sam replied distractedly. "You?"

"I'm a New Yorker, baby," she said. Dean nodded appreciatively, before having his attention drawn away by Sam shoving a photo under his nose.

"Alright, this photo was taken in front of our old house right? The one where mum died?" Sam asked as Athena peered over Dean's shoulder to see their childhood home.

"Yeah," Dean said as if this was an obvious answer.

"And it didn't burn down, right? I mean, not completely, they rebuilt it, right?"

Athena muttered, "Stop saying right," but under her breath.

Dean smirked at her before returning his attention to the photo. He grabbed it off Sam to study it closely. "I guess so, yeah. What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, knowing that Sam explained everything in a roundabout way.

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy-"

"Like everything else that comes out of your mouth," Athena interjected cheerfully, before Sam glared at her and she mimed zipping her lips.

"-but the people who live in our old house, I think they may be in danger somehow," he finished, causing a heavy silence in the room.

Dean stared. "Why would you think that?"

Sam glanced around nervously. "It's just... um... just... trust me on this one, okay?" He walked away to go into the bathroom and Dean got up, following him.

"Wait, whoa whoa, trust you?" He questioned.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Come on, man, that's weak. You gotta give me a little bit more than that," He pried as Sam sighed and turned around.

"I can't really explain it, is all."

Dean stood his ground. "Well, tough because I'm not going anywhere until you do."

Sam sighed again. "I have these nightmares."

Athena nodded. "We've noticed."

"Sometimes... well, sometimes they come true."

Dean stared. "Come again?" Athena also sat up, finally pleased to have something to relieve her boredom.

Sam shook his head. "Look, Dean, I dreamt about Jessica's death days before it happened."

Dean sighed. "Sam, people have weird dreams all the time, man. I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

"No, I dreamt about the blood dripping, her on the ceiling, the fire, everything, and I didn't do anything about it 'cause I didn't believe it. And now I'm dreaming about that tree, about our house, and about some woman inside screaming for help. I mean, that's where it all started, man, this has to mean something, right?" Sam said, growing more and more frantic, more and more desperate to get his point across.

Dean held his hands up. "I don't know Sammy! I don't know what your freaky dreams mean!" he said as Athena jumped up and slid over to Sam's computer, her slim fingers deftly flying over the keyboard.

"What do you mean 'you don't know' Dean? This woman could be in danger. I mean, this might even be the thing that killed mom and Jessica!" he exclaimed.

"Alright, just slow down, would ya?" Dean said, pacing around the room. "I mean, first you tell me you've got The Shining, then you tell me I've gotta get back home? Especially when..." Dean trailed off.

"When what?" Sam asked gently.

"When I swore to myself that I would never go back there," Dean said, and his voice was utterly vulnerable, his emotions showing through for once. Athena stared. Whatever had happened at that house had cut Dean, and cut him real deep.

Sam sighed. "Look, Dean." As he spoke his voice was soft and kind. "we have to go back there."

Dean nodded in defeat. "I know we do."

Sam glanced down. "I think we should ask Drie to come with us..." He turned his gaze up at his brother to gage his reaction and Dean nodded.

"I think that sounds like a good idea," He said as he pulled out his cellphone from his pocket. "Shall I call her or should you?" He grinned tossing the phone to his little brother. "Stupid question. Of course you'd rather call to talk to her."

Sam cocked his head at his brother quizzically after catching the phone. "And why would I rather do that?" He asked, not understanding.

Dean winked. "I'm psychic. So, you get to calling while I get to packing everything up." Athena made herself scarce. Sam stepped into the hallway and dialed the numbers.

_"Hello?"_came a voice he'd heard not a month ago on the line.

Sam sighed in relief. "Drie. It's me," he said as way of greeting.

_"Sam?" _she asked, surprised.

"Yep. How you been?"

There was some crackly static before she replied. _"Sorry, what was that? Bad reception, I'm at the bar."_

"I asked how you were."

More static cut across the line and he heard fractured replies, before her voice cleared and solidified. _"I've been good, great in fact. No-one's died since... how about you?"_she asked, sitting up on the counter at the bar.

After Sam and Dean had left, she'd tried to return to her old ways, but it took a little getting used to. What made it harder was every time she'd look over to her co-worker and see a stocky, red headed girl by name of Leah and not Athena. This was a constant reminder as to what had happened and where Athena was now. Hunting. With Dean and Sam. Where, by all rights, she should be.

"Yeah, we've been great actually. Look, a new case has come up. I wouldn't dare of asking you normally but this one's kinda different," he said, trying to express the urgency of the situation.

_"Okay, I'll hear you out, what's different about it?" _she asked, curious as to what it would be.

"The location."

_"And the location is where, Sam? Stop messing me around,"_she said, irritated.

Sam smiled at the familiar tone. "Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas."

_"Wait..."_ Adriana wasn't sure where he was going with this, but she had a pretty good idea. _"Sammy, that's where we grew up..."_

He nodded. "I know... the old house we use to live in, there's a family that moved in there... I think something bad is gonna happen to them."

_"Something bad as in...?"_

"I can't explain it. Just call it a feeling..." He sighed. "I wanted you to come out and help us with this one, Drie. It's personal..."

Adriana sighed. She wanted to say no, but the tone of his voice was pleading with her, and she couldn't tell him no. _"All right... When do you want me out there?"_

Sam breathed a sigh of relief that she was coming. "Dean wants to leave as soon as possible... you know him," He said, joking.

Adriana nodded. _"All right. I'll fly out to Lawrence tonight if you think you guys can pick me up from the airport."_Sam smiled and pumped the air with his fist and flipped the phone shut in triumph. As he walked in, he adopted a sombre expression.

"Well?" Dean asked in anticipation, not liking the look on Sam's face.

"I'm sorry Dean. She..." he paused. _"_She wants you to pick her up from the airport," he finished, cracking a smile.

Dean glared at him. "Bitch," he said, then turned around to see Athena trying not to laugh. "Oh great, all laugh at my expense why don't you?"

"C'mon, Dean, it is funny. Your face when you saw Sam's, it was like you'd seen someone die," Athena said, chuckling.

"I have," he said shortly and both of them stopped laughing.

"Right then, uh, can we swing by the airport? It'll take all night to get there. Else we can stop at a motel in Lawrence and I'll go get her?" Sam offered, moving the subject along.

"Whatever's fine," Dean said, dismissing his ideas with a wave of his hand.

"Can I drive yet?" Athena asked. Both Sam and Dean turned to look at her.

"N. O." Dean spelled.

Athena pouted. "Please?" she pleaded. Sam ducked his head so Dean wouldn't see him smiling again. In reply, Dean grabbed all his research and dumped it heavily into his bag. Athena rolled her eyes. "No need to be so dramatic."

Dean gave her a look as he slung his duffel bag over his shoulders. "I'm not being dramatic," He stated as he headed for the door.

Sam shook his head laughing. "He's not being dramatic, I promise. When he's being dramatic, you'll know."

Athena gave Sam a look. "That's not him being dramatic?" She asked with a motion of her head towards him and Sam shook his head.

"Nope."

"Wow, then I'd hate to see him dramatic."

"You do realize I am in still in the room, right?" Dean asked, turning around to face the two. "I am right here and my hearing is just as good as ever."

Sam laughed. "Whatever..." He paused before grinning and adding, "jerk."

Dean smirked, enjoying the small inside joke they had. "Bitch."

Athena did her trademark eye rolling. At first it had been a little awkward with the brothers. And it became apparent that Sam still thought Dean had made an odd choice. From what she'd picked up on, it was completely out of character for him. But she'd gone along, and they'd settle into a routine, Athena learning every day. But this case... she had a slight feeling of trepidation. There was some unfinished business of the boys past, she didn't completely know the story, and with Adriana turning up in the mix, who knew what would happen. She hauled her dark blue duffel bag onto her shoulder, it being in much better condition than the boys one.

"Right. We're off," she said.

"Since when do you give orders?" Dean asked.

Athena grinned. "Since you got dramatic," she retorted, walking out and leaning against the car's back door until Dean arrived with the keys.

"Burn," Sam muttered as he walked past Dean, following Athena's path. Dean took a final glance around the room before flicking off the light.

"Hey. Sammy!" he called down before tossing the keys to his brother. "You're driving, I gotta quiz this one," he told him, indicating to Athena.

Sam smirked. "Oh, _that_could be entertaining," he said.

"Entertaining and difficult," Dean finished. Sam opened the car and Athena slid into the back seat, long having realized she would never ride shot gun if Sam was driving. To her surprise, Dean slid into the seat beside her, pulling his bag onto his lap.

"What's all this?" Athena asked, slightly wary.

"Pop quiz for the college kid," Dean said smiling.

"I'm officially scared," Athena announced.

"You should be," Sam said as he pulled away from the motel.

Later that night, after many quizzes and questions to Athena, they were pulling up to a motel. Sam parked the car and got out. "I'll get the key for the room, you two get the stuff out of the car," He said as Dean and Athena also got out.

Dean had been impressed with Athena. She had gotten a lot more right than he had thought she would. She was a fast learner and that was good. You needed to be fast in this lifestyle. He grabbed his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder as she grabbed hers from the trunk. He turned to her and closed the trunk.

"Last question. How do you kill a vampire? Do you stab it through the heart with a stake or do you burn it's body?" He asked.

Athena smirked. "Well, if you're in Twilight, you burn it's bones, however, Twilight's not real. Thank God. In order to kill a vampire, you'd have to decapitate it," She told him and Dean gave her a nod of approval.

"Good job. Usually a lot of hunters don't know that."

"I'm not 'a lot' of hunters".

"You got that right," Dean said to himself.

"Don't sound so surprised about me being right. I'm always right."

"I think you're getting me confused with you, Thena," Dean retorted as he walked up the stairs to their room. Sam had already grabbed the room key.

"You keep telling yourself that, Deanie," she said, grinning as she used his hated nickname.

She shifted the duffle bag to one shoulder while she opened the door. In order to do this, she cocked a hip, leaving Dean staring at her ass again. Travelling with Athena had been incredibly different from him and Sam's usual close knit team. She had a similar sense of humour to him, but occasionally Sam and her ganged up on him. And she was still one of the hottest babes he'd ever seen.

"Dean. Earth to Dean." the woman in consideration said, waving a hand under his face.

"Yes?" he asked, as if there was something important he should know.

"Nothing. You just went to that little place where you go quite often," she said as she nudged the door open. Sam had already set up his laptop and piles of research on the table, but there was no sign of him.

"Sam?" Dean called as he stepped inside, closing the door once Athena was in behind him. "Sammy?" He started to call a third time, but his little brother stepped out from the bathroom.

"What? I'm here. Calm down, Dean," He stated, shaking his head as he grabbed his wallet, slipping it into the back pocket of his jeans.

Dean tossed Sam the keys to the Impala. "Don't forget to take your gun."

Sam rolled his eyes, catching the keys. "I'm just going to the airport, Dean. I'm not going on a hunt." He headed for the door, then turned around. "Want me to pick up food on the way back?"

Dean nodded, his eyes going wide with excitement. "Yes. Bacon cheeseburger. Athena, what do you want?" He asked, turning to the girl.

"I want a large fry and coke. And a cheeseburger."

Dean stared at her. "You cannot possibly eat that much."

She winked at him. "Oh I betcha baby, I can."

"In that case, I'll have a large chocolate milkshake."

Sam shook his head. This could escalate for hours. Despite how she looked, Athena could pack away a lot of food and still stay skinny. "Fine, both of you rob me dry then," he said, pulling the door shut.

He turned the car on for the second time that night and quickly cruised to the airport, easily remembering the way. The bright lights illuminating the dark sky showed when he was close. He smoothly pulled across the tarmac and locked up Dean's beloved impala. He walked inside, ignoring all the business men in suits, all the weary looking tourists, until he saw a glimpse of blonde, flying well below the average line of height. The next second, he was attacked by a petite girl with blonde hair.

"Hello Adriana," he said simply. She smiled up at him.

"Hey Sammy," she said, abandoning his name for a childhood nickname.

With Adriana's arms around him and her voice, memories flooded back, memories of young hunters chasing each other through a nearby forest. He shook them off and put an arm around Adriana, leading her over to the car. She too, carried only a duffel bag only hers was hot pink. Sam chuckled when he saw it slung over her shoulder. Only Adriana. Inside was probably her gun from her hunting days, such a contradiction to have someone so skilfully dangerous and someone so... girlie. There was no other word for it.

"It's good to see you, Drie," he said as he unlocked the Impala. She smiled at him.

"Can I drive?" she asked him. Sam looked at her, considering just how pissed off Dean and Athena would be before tossing the keys and walking around the front of the car. She slid in behind the wheel, looking tiny in the big muscle car. "Sorry, I just wanted to remember these roads. It's good to see you too Sam. I'm glad it's only been six weeks and not six years," she said as she pulled away fast with a laugh.

"You know how pissed off Dean is gonna be knowing that you drove his car?"

Adriana laughed. "He's let me drive it before. It won't be that big of a deal."

Sam laughed, shaking his head. "Okay, rephrase. Do you know how pissed off Athena is gonna be if she founds out you drove the car? She's been asking to drive it ever since we got on the road." He laughed again at the memories of the dark-haired girl begging Dean to let her drive his car.

"And he's said no?"

Sam nodded. "Everytime."

Adriana shook her head. "All right. Where we headed?" She asked, looking to him to give her directions.

Sam pointed at a small diner up the road. "Dean wanted me to stop and get him some food."

Adriana laughed. "A bacon cheeseburger?" She asked and Sam nodded. "Typical," She said. "Dean always gets the same thing," She said as she pulled into the parking lot and turned the car off before leading the way inside with Sam behind her.

"He likes his routines. What do you want?" Sam asked, pulling out his wallet. He flipped through multiple credit cards before finding the one he wanted.

"Excuse me, I'm an independent working woman and I don't need a free ride off your 'hard earned cash'," she said, jokingly.

"All the same. What do you want?" He asked again and Adriana accepted that Sam wanted to be a gentleman.

"Can I have a chicken sandwhich? And a sundae? Or is the sundae pushing it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Not at all," Sam said before turning to the counter. "Hi, can we please have a bacon cheeseburger and a large chocolate milkshake, a chicken sandwhich, a caramel sundae, a strawberry sundae, a cheeseburger with large fries, a Caesar salad and a large coke?" he asked.

The server calculated all the prices. "That comes to $43.70. Have here or to-go?"

"To-go, thanks," Sam said as he leaned against the counter.

"Sheeh. Who's the last order for?" Adriana enquired.

Sam winked at her. "Thena. She eats like you wouldn't believe."

Adriana noticed the lack of the first syllable of her name, a sure sign that they were getting along well. "So, she doing okay?"

"She's a really fast learner," He said. "She was actually quite useful. When we were dealing with a spirit on a case, she figured out that it was tied to a necklace, not an actual person."

Adriana nodded. "I'm glad she's helpful and not slowing you guys down," She smiled. "Not that I thought she would. She's smart and catches on quick."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, she does."

"I heard Dean was wanted for murder?" She asked, playfully. "What was all of that about?"

"A Shapeshifter in St. Louis. We went to help out one of my friends my college, and it ended up taking on Dean's form, and murdered someone. The cops pinned it on Dean."

Adriana shook her head. "So, how are you guys getting around with the other cases?"

"Very carefully. It makes it harder cause now we gotta make sure he doesn't get caught as well. It helped that the cops already killed "Dean", but still. We gotta be careful," Sam said as the server came back and handed Sam a bag of food, his gaze on Adriana.

"I get off in ten minutes if you wanna hang?" He winked at the blonde girl.

Sam shifted and looked down at Adriana for the response. She laughed and linked arms with Sam. "Sorry, big boy, I'm already taken," she said with a flirty wink as she left the diner, most of the other male patrons eyes on her as well.

"Adriana Brielle Tanner, you are something else! And I would appreciate it if you didn't just drag me in to situations like that, I might believe you actually like me," Sam said, still linked arms with her. She placed a hand over her mouth in the 'gasp' expression before placing an innocent look on her face.

"Whatever can you mean?" she said, struggling to keep her face straight.

"You know exactly what I mean, Princess," he said, tapping her on the end of the nose, which she wrinkled.

"So. What skeevey little motel have you guys chosen this time? This is Lawrence, Kansas after all," she said.

"I'll thank you not to talk about my home state like that," Sam said, acting offended. "Did you know Athena was born in New York?" he asked. Adriana nodded as she reached the car, extracted the keys from her bra and got in the car.

"Sure did. When I first met her, her accent was very strong, and her attitude even stronger. Ask her to do it for you sometime," she said as she slowly let out the clutch, ignoring Sam's tortured looks as she finally dropped it and the car bunny hopped forwards.

"I finally know how I'm going to die. Either, you'll kill me with your shit driving or Dean will, for letting me wreck his baby." Adriana laughed as she tore off. "Okay, two miles outta town, then about seventy metres down the road is our motel." He explained and Adriana quickly got them to their destination, in one piece. "Gimme the car keys so Dean doesn't kill me," Sam said before they went inside.

Adriana held them teasingly in front of his face before drawing them back. "Nah uh! I thought the whole point of this exercise was to piss Athena off," she stated, smirking as she knocked on the door. Sam shook his head but didn't make a move for the keys.

"You're terrible, I hope you know this," he told her and she grinned, nodding her head.

"I do know this, and I'm perfectly okay with it!" She knocked on the door again and she could hear Dean call through the door telling her to hold her horses and calm down.

She giggled as he opened the door and smirked at her. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

As she passed by him, tossed the keys up in the air towards Dean. "That's not nice to call your little brother a cat," She stated with Sam quickly following behind her, keeping his head down as everything began to click into place for Dean.

"Sam," he said, turning from the door slowly, as Sam shot to the bed on the far side of the room. "Why did Drie have my car keys?"

"I don't know Dean. Why don't you ask Drie that?" Sam said smirking at Adriana, shooting her a look that said 'you started this, you finish this'. She glared at him before looking at Dean sweetly.

"I drove," she said.

Dean stared at her. "You did what?" he exclaimed, grabbing a flashlight and rushing outside to check on his car. Adriana and Sam collapsed into fits of laughter. Dean came in, glaring and pulled the door shut. "Are you suicidal Sammy? Is that why you let her drive?"

"No, we just-"

"Hey, I'm not that bad of a driver! Jeez Dean," Adriana said, cutting across Sam.

"Still. Why did you let her drive?" Dean asked, trying not to freak out. Athena happened to step out of the bathroom as Dean said this and her mouth dropped open.

"He let her what?" she asked, wearing an identical expression to Dean's earlier one. This set Adriana and Sam off again. "That is SO not fair! I've been asking to drive for months! And she asks once!" Athena pouted, before looking up to see Adriana poking her tongue.

"Don't just rip into me! It would be nice to have a hello," she said.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Hello Adriana," she said, putting empahasis onto the first word.

Adriana rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Oh, come on, Dean. You've let me drive your car before. It's not like it was that big of a deal."

Dean held up his pointer finger to her. "Once. I let you drive _one_time," He corrected. "And I only did it because I had to fix this kid up," He said motioning towards Sam.

Adriana shook her head, smirking. "Twice." She held up two fingers. "You let me drive it _twice_. The other time was when I got stuck scoping out a bar with you and you got distracted flirting with the bartender? Remember that?"

Dean pursed his lips together and nodded his head. "Fine. Twice."

Athena glanced between the two of them. "Wait, so why'd you let her drive on both accounts?"

Dean sighed. "The first time, we were hunting a Shapeshifter and we knew it would be at a bar picking up woman so we used Drie as bait. I was supposed to be keeping an eye on her to make sure everything went okay. Well-"

"He got distracted and was flirting with the bartender. While he was busy doing his thing, I got drugged and carried off," Adriana explained, cutting him off.

"So, that's fair enough. What happened the other time?" Athena asked, still not convinced this warranted driving the infamous Impala.

"The other time, Sammy, being the brainless nerd he is, didn't get out of the way in time. Gash right across his thigh, bleeding heavily. Adriana drove while I saved his life," Dean said casually.

Athena looked at them all. "But still!"

Adriana laughed at the dark-haired girl's perplexed expression. "Athena, unless it's a life or death situation, or Dean feels bad about you getting hurt, you aren't gonna get to drive the Impala."

"Or unless I flirt with his little brother and persuade him to let me," She muttered under her breath, but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear.

Dean made a gasping noise, followed by a swish and dunk of an imaginary basketball hoop. Sam went slightly red and Adriana glared. Athena smiled back. The tension that had mostly dissipated had returned.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that, what did you say?" Adriana asked nastily.

Athena continued to smile, and the boys looked at each other, sensing it escalating. "I said, 'Unless I flirt with his little brother and persuade him to let me'," she repeated. Dean was amused that Sam was being used as a pawn.

"It wasn't flirting, it was a friendly favour," Adriana snapped. Athena raised her eyebrows, determined to wind this girl up as much as she possibly could. Adriana's plan had backfired.

"Oh is that what they call it nowadays?" she asked. Adriana stepped forward, ready to continue the argument but Sam stopped her. They had a low heated discussion, followed by Adriana conceding defeat and sitting on a bed to pull her shoes off, still glaring at Athena.

"Okay," Adriana began, taking a deep calming breath. "Why are you guys wanting to go back home?" She asked the two boys.

"Sammy here." Dean motioned to the younger hunter who took a seat beside Adriana on the bed. "has been having visions in the form of dreams."

Adriana cocked her head to the side and gazed at the hunter in question curiously. "You have? For how long?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I don't really remember... I know I had them about Jess before she died..." He said quietly and Adriana nodded and wasn't going to push the subject about Sam's late girlfriend.

"Okay, so you had a weird dream about your house?" The blonde asked.

Sam shook his head. "About the people in the house. I had a dream about a woman inside screaming for help," He explained.

"How do you know its your house?" She asked.

Sam pulled out the picture of a tree he had drawn and the photo of the Wincehster family in front of the tree. He held them both out to her to examine. "See? Same tree."

Adriana looked apprehensive and disbelieving, but less so than Dean. "It's pretty shaky, Sammy," she said, trying to understand what it would be like from his point of view.

"I know. I know," Sam said.

"You didn't say that when I told you that," Dean muttered.

Sam sighed, looking at each of them in turn. "I don't know how to convince you. You just have to trust me."

Adriana was the first to react, she stood up and hugged Sam. "Of course we will Sam."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well it looks like our decisions been made for us."

Adriana shook her head. "Well, obviously you trust him as well because we're in Lawrence, Kansas. So, obviously you felt like there was some truth to what he was saying."

Dean opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it, realizing she was right. "Yeah, whatever. So, two beds, how we doing sleeping arrangements?" He questioned, sitting down in a chair.

Adriana sighed. "How have you guys been doing it with the sleeping arrangements with the three of you? I mean, you guys have only had two beds on the other hunts."

"We rotate on the floor usually. The couch if they rarely have one," Athena said. Adriana spotted another opportunity to get Athena back.

She turned to Dean. "What, you guys aren't shagging yet?"

These words had an instantaneous reaction. Athena made an outraged cry before muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "I wish". Sam doubled over in laughter, loving Adriana's clear refusal to back down. And Dean. Dean just sent her a glare so fierce, if looks could kill, Adriana would be dead several times over.

"No. We're not," he said through gritted teeth. Adriana grinned, enjoying his discomfort.

"Why not?" she kept pushing it.

Dean rolled his eyes, before shaking his head and wrapping an arm around the short girl's shoulders. "It's good to have you back, Drie. Life on the road is no fun without someone to fight with," He said teasingly and Adriana laughed. She would definitely be bringing this subject back up later-especially if it got such a reaction out of _both_of them.

"But in all seriousness-" Adriana's words cut off as she yawned. "How are we doing the sleeping arrangements? Because I'm tired. Flying a time zone over does that to people."

Dean shrugged. "Well, there's two beds and a floor. So, people can share a bed or two people can sleep on the floor."

"I call a bed," Adriana said straight off. "I don't care who or what is in it with me, I want a bed, okay?"

"Okay. Drie gets a bed. Thena, it was your turn on the floor. I want the other bed-"

"And usually what you say, goes?" Adriana interjected cheerfully.

"- so Sammy, you can share whatever the hell you want," he continued, ignoring Adriana as if she never said anything.

Sam seemed nervous before he said, "I'll share with Drie if she doesn't mind."

"Nah. I'll be asleep in like, two seconds anyway," she said, yawning. Athena stood up and grabbed her bag before dumping it on the ground beside Adriana's pink one as the blonde stood up and grabbed her bag, heading towards the bathroom. Once the door had been closed, Dean turned towards his little brother smirking.

"Sammy, you sly dog," He teased.

Sam gave Dean a blank stare. "Why am I a sly dog?"

Dean's smirk only grew. "Sleeping in the same bed with Drie."

Sam rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Dean, we've been doing it since we were little kids. What makes now any different?" He questioned, trying to understand where his brother was going with this.

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's naivety. "Exactly Sam. We were kids. Sleeping in the same bed with Drie now would be like me sleeping in the same bed as Thena," he said, trying to get his point across.

"No Dean. It's not. We are going to be asleep," Sam said, stressing the word 'asleep'.

"Whatever you say, Sam. But I don't think it's just me thinking this," Dean said, pulling a pillow over his head. Sam turned to Athena who wore her usual smirk.

"Well?" he demanded.

"Look Sam, he's kinda right. It's a bit different now. You're a lot older. But," she said, trying to salvage the situation, "Adrie's cool with it so whatever," she finished, laying on the ground.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You guys are being ridiculous about this."

Athena shook her head. "Whatever you say, Sam-"

"If you say "Sammy", so help me God," Sam said with a roll of his eyes as he sat on the bed just as Adriana walked out wearing a tight, dark blue t-shirt and a pair of black boycut underwear.

"Whoever needs the bathroom next, it's open," She said tossing her bag on the bed where Dean was laying. The bag landed on him and he sat up, glaring.

"Really?"

Adriana smiled sweetly. "Oops. My bad. Wrong bed."

Athena unfolded herself, knowing the two of them would be at it for a while. Sam was so innocent. One day it was going to get him hurt. And Dean. Dean was too cynical, too fearless for his own good. As much as Athena would never admit it out loud, she had kinda missed seeing the bubbly blonde every day. But it was good with the three of them. She changed quickly and came out in harem pants and a bra, sauntering over to her bed, pulling a blanket around her. Adriana stopped snapping at Dean to stare at the girl's lack of clothing. It wasn't like she'd never worn that much in front of the boys, she'd been naked in front of them before. It was just unexpected. Adriana also noticed how Sam averted his eyes and Dean directed his more towards Athena.

"If two's company and three's a crowd, what does that make us?" she said, grinning.

Dean laughed. "A messed up group of people searching for things that want to kill them," He stated and Adriana rolled her eyes as she walked over to her own bed, and slipped in beside Sam.

"So, what time are we getting up tomorrow?"

Before Sam could say some ungodly hour before the sun was up, Dean spoke. "I don't know. But I'm sleeping in. We haven't had a proper night's sleep in a while. And don't you dare argue Sam, you need the rest, too. Those freaky dreams of yours have been keeping you from sleeping."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, okay. We'll go later." He knew Dean was right, and he knew there was no point in arguing with him. Those nightmares he had been having were keeping him from sleeping, and that wasn't good. He needed to find a way to stop the dreams so he could sleep every once in a while.


	6. Welcome Home

Sam woke first. This in itself surprised him. To wake, one needed to sleep, and to sleep, one needed not to have nightmares. Adriana's arms were tangled around the sheets and him. He tried gently moving but she rolled over, separating them anyway. He'd forgotten how heavy a sleeper her and Dean were. Athena and Sam had often woken up at the slightest noise during the night, while Dean just slept right through. And Adriana could do the same. He crept out of the bed and got dressed, rubbing his eyes as he turned on his laptop for their daily news search.

"You slept," came a low voice in the darkness. Sam jumped. It was Athena's.

"You've been noticing my sleeping patterns?" Sam asked her, raising his eyebrows. She stood up, grabbing a shirt as the blanket pooled around her feet.

"Well, it's a little hard not to when you wake up every night, calling out her name," she said, avoiding Jessica's name. She'd noticed Sam always got sadder when it was mentioned. Athena liked the guy, not like she liked Dean, but enough to care.

Sam shrugged. "I guess I did sleep," He said, not really thinking of it.

Athena walked over to him, slipping her shirt over her head and took a seat across from him at the table. "You think Adriana had anything to do with your lack of nightmares?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Sam paused as his laptop booted up. He seemed to be contemplating her words carefully. "Maybe..." He shrugged again. "I'm not sure..." He said honestly, but now that he thought about it, when he had fallen asleep with her at her own apartment back on their last case, he hadn't had the nightmares as well. He began having them again when they had left her, and now he didn't have them that she was here. It didn't make sense to him, but he didn't really want to think about it.

Athena studied him. "I think she has a lot to do with you being able to sleep."

Sam typed something into the search bar before turning his attention onto her. "And why is that?"

"You're relaxed around her. Not on guard. Don't try and deny it," she said, seeing him about to object. Sam didn't reply to her statement, instead deflecting the topic from himself, as he always did when things got too close.

"Are you always relaxed?" Sam asked her. Athena shrugged.

"Never. I just act like it. I'm constantly on edge, I just don't show it like..." she turned to indicate Dean but got a fright when she saw him standing right behind her.

"Me? I'm never on edge," he said, putting the kettle on. Sam sighed. They'd been considerate enough not to wake him up, but now he didn't care about Adriana, who'd flown across two timezones.

Dean glanced at Athena taking in her messy hair and wardrobe from last night. She looked great in the morning without even trying. He turned back to the kettle as it started to squeal and sure enough Adriana sat up slowly.

"Dean, I hate you," She mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Dean stared at the girl. "How do you know it was me? There are two other awake people!"

Adriana yawned. "Because you're the only one who's enough of an ass to wake up someone," She muttered and Sam chuckled.

"She's right," He said and Dean rolled his eyes as Adriana ran a hand through her hair, trying to smooth it down from sleeping.

But, Dean noticed, she didn't really need to do anything to it. It looked very-he paused in his thoughts, searching for a word-hot? sexy? Either way she looked good just after waking up, which a lot of girls didn't and he would know. Dean pulled four cups down and began to make the coffee. Him and Sam had one sugar, Adriana had three sugars and cream and Athena had strong black coffee. Adriana stood up and stretched her petite body, unknowingly accentuating her womanly curves. Sam tried not to notice his best friend as anything other than a pretty girl but it was hard when she did that. Even Dean was looking and Sam felt an irrational urge to draw his attention away.

"So. We're leaving soon right?" Athena asked, diverting his attention before Sam could.

"Definitely," Sam replied. "Drie did you bring your set of guns?" In answer Adriana reached down and tossed her duffel bag at him, metal clanging inside. He opened the zipper and pulled out a Glock 26, only this one had a slight difference. Around the handle was a sparkly pink heart, embellished in rhinestones.

Sam picked it up with one finger, dangling it with disgust. "Really Adriana?"

She rolled her eyes, trying not to giggle. "Hey. I did that when I was like fourteen, okay? And it sorta grew on me. Like, I couldn't get rid of it now even if I wanted to."

"Have you tried?" Dean asked, shaking his head at the gun.

Adriana narrowed her eyes. "Watch it, Dean, or I might do the same thing to your gun." She winked at him and he instantly shook his head.

"No. I'll be good, I promise."

Sam laughed. "Wow. The next time I think you get out of line I'm gonna threaten to glue pink rhinestones onto your Colt."

Dean glared. "If you even think about using that threat, I will kick your ass to the curb."

"Can I point out that I can kick both of your asses in heels with my hands tied behind my back?"

Athena laughed. "Who wears heels to kick peoples asses?" she asked, looking down at her own knee high combat boots.

"Me. Jimmy Choo 2006 spring edition has quite a sharp heel. It comes in handy," Adriana replied with a knowing wink.

"Oh I'm sorry, I don't speak girl," Athena said to her, also laughing.

"Dean does," Adriana said, looking over at Dean sulking at the table. She walked up behind him, grabbing his cheeks. "Awe, is poor ickle Deanie-Weanie upset?" she questioned in a baby voice.

Dean swatted her hands away. "Go away. You're like a fly that keeps buzzing around people and when they swat it away it flies off, but then when they think they've gotten rid of it, it comes back," He teased her and she stood in front of him, placing her hands on her hips.

"And you're a cocky person who _thinks_ he's funny, but in reality people only laugh at your jokes because they don't want you to feel bad. They're not laughing with you, Dean, they're laughing _at_you," Adriana told him, raising an eyebrow as Sam sighed.

"Drie, you just woke up. Can you two go five seconds without bickering?" He questioned the two. Adriana laughed, walking over to him and sitting on one of his legs.

"You know you love us and wouldn't trade us for anything," She told him, draping an arm around his back.

Sam looked at her. Just when he was about to scold her, she disarmed him. "No, that's right. I wouldn't trade you for anything. For something though..." He laughed at her adorable offended look before hugging her. "Kidding Drie. Obviously." She stayed on his knee, smiling. Athena grabbed the coffee cups and took them over to the sink.

"Good bitch," Dean said, slapping her ass as she walked past. She calmly carried the cups to the sink and slammed them into it, smashing them. Sam and Adriana looked at each other, trying to contain their laughter and shock.

"Dean Winchester," Athana hissed, stalking up behind him. "If you ever," she said, pausing, "EVER call me that again, I will chop off your balls and feed one to a werewolf and one to a lycan, understand?" she finished.

Dean nodded his head slightly, afraid to move for fear of being slapped. What was funny is that Athena completely didn't mention the action that went along with the words. Adriana was hardly surprised but Sam... Sam remembered a time Dean had playfully smacked Adriana's ass and the terrible chain effect that had been caused by it.

"See, Dean," Adriana pointed out. "That is why you don't slap girls on the ass. It comes back to bite you," She stated and Dean winked at her.

"Is that a promise."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean. Will you ever grow up?"

Dean paused to think about it. "No. Because where's the fun in life if you grow up?" He questioned and Adriana shook her head at him.

"Um, people don't get annoyed with you all the time," She stated.

Sam nodded in agreement with her. "For real. He acts exactly the same now as he did when we were little kids," He stated, a hand resting on the small of Adriana's back-a movement that didn't go unnoticed by Dean or Athena.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," he said standing up and grabbing the smashed cups out of the sink. "You two ready?" he asked the obvious question, as Adriana continued to sit on Sam's knee in her underwear. She sprung up, in her usual fashion.

"Give me." she stopped to calculate, "fifteen minutes," she said, skipping to the bathroom.

Dean sat back down and Sam looked at her quizzically. "By fifteen minutes she means an hour," he told the other two.

"Hey! Good things take time Deanie. Which would explain why you were made in ten seconds," she said, pulling the door closed with a flirty wink. Athena, since the cup incident had pulled on skinny jeans, combat boots and an army style jacket over a tight black singlet.

Dean raised an eyebrow at her. "You know we're just going over to the place to check it out. We're not actually hunting anything," He stated.

Athena shrugged. "You can never be too prepared, right?" She asked, sitting down on one of the empty beds and Dean nodded his head.

"Touche," He said. "Drie will you hurry it up!"

She opened the door slightly and stuck her head out, and by the way they could see her skin through her blonde hair on her shoulders indicated she had just been ready to hop in the shower when Dean had called. "Hey! I just got in here! It's been like two minutes! If that!" She exclaimed, glaring.

Half an hour later, they all left the motel room. Dean made a point of taking the keys off Sam and quickly driving to their old house. He parked in front of it, the setting bringing back old memories, memories he'd tried hard to forget. He rested his head on the steering wheel, trying to pull it together.

"You gonna be all right, man?" Sam murmured as he got out of the car. Dean pulled out the keys.

"Let me get back to you on that," he said as he overtook the girls, figuring the best way to do this was to grab the bull by the proverbial horns. He knocked on the door, running his hand over the worn wood of the frame.

A few seconds later, the door was opened and a woman with blonde hair stood there. "Yes?"

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we're with the Federal-" Dean started to say, but Sam cut him off.

"I'm Sam Winchester, this is my brother, Dean and our friend Adriana and Athena. Dean and I used to live here. You know, we were just drivin' by, and we were wondering if we could come see the old place." He glanced around the outside for a moment before turning his attention back onto the lady.

The lady smiled. "Winchester. Yeah, that's so funny. You know, I think I found some of your photos the other night."

Dean looked taken aback. He didn't think anything had survived the fire. "You did?"

She nodded and stepped aside. "Come on in. I'm Jenny by the way."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look before following her in, the two girls behind them. Adriana closed the door once they were all in as they followed the woman into the kitchen. There was a little girl about nine years old sitting at the kitchen table doing homework and then a little toddler about three who was in his playpen, jumping up and down excitedly as his mother walked into the kitchen. His face brightened and his jumping became more hyper.

"Juice! Juice! Juice! Juice!" He cheered excitedly.

She smiled at the toddle before opening the refrigerator and pulling out a sippy cup with juice in it. "That's Ritchie," She said walking over to the baby and handed him the cup. "He's kinda a juice junkie," She said as he walked over to the girl and placed her hands on her shoulder. "Sairie, this is Sam and Dean and their friends. Sam and Dean used to live here."

Sairie smiled up at the group. "Hi."

"Hey, Sairie," Sam said smiling as Dean gave the girl a small wave.

Adriana stepped forward, trailing just behind Sam, while Athena hung back a bit. This wasn't her scene. She didn't do family.

"So you just moved in?" Dean questioned, looking around. It wasn't that different to when he lived in it, how they'd rebuilt it.

Jenny nodded. "Yeah, from Wichita."

As she spoke, Ritchie started to cry a bit. Adriana glanced at Jenny then at the little boy. "May I?" She asked and Jenny nodded her head with a teasing smile.

"Yeah. By all means, go ahead. Ritchie usually cries whenever other people are around. He likes the attention," She smiling.

Dean noticed his little brother watching Adriana as she walked over to the little boy and picked him up, placing him on her hip. "Hi, little guy. How are you?" She asked in a cutesy voice.

Athena noticed that Adriana was good with kids, and wished she could be good with kids as well. Adriana just seemed good at everything. She seemed good at hunting and fighting with Dean, she seemed good with being social with other people who weren't hunters, she was good with kids too. Was there anything else she was good at?

Sam didn't realize he was smiling while he watched the blonde, but Dean noticed. Sam couldn't help but notice how good Adriana was with kids because the little boy stopped crying. "You're okay, ay little Ritchie," she said, laughing at the smiling boy.

"I'll just grab those photos," Jenny said, walking down to the basement. The little girl, Sairie, stared up at Sam, who crouched down. Apparently kids were a lot less threatened by people at eye level as opposed to three times their size.

"Hey Sairie. Do you like this house?" he asked, smiling. The look she gave him was odd, almost fearful. As her mother returned holding a box, she ran over to her and clung to her leg.

"Here we are," Jenny said, pulling a photo of Sam and Dean out. Athena peered over, curious to see how they'd looked.

"Awe Dean, you were so cute. What happened?" Athena asked as Jenny laughed and Dean glared at her.

"Very funny," He said rolling his eyes as Adriana walked over to take a look at the photos as well. She smiled, pointing at the little baby in Mary Winchester's arms.

"Look at baby Sammy!" Adriana giggled, bouncing Ritchie up and down on her hip.

Dean cleared his throat. "You got family here, or... ?"

"No. I just, uh... needed a fresh start, that's all. So, new town, new job-I mean, as soon as I find one. New house," Jenny explained, folding her arms over her chest.

"So, how you likin' it so far?" Sam asked.

Jenny gave a small smile. "Well, uh, all due respect to your childhood home-I mean, I'm sure you had lots of happy memories here," She said and Dean gave a forced smile. "But this place has its issues."

Sam cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Jenny sighed. "Well, it's just getting old. Like the wiring, you know? We've got flickering lights almost hourly."

Dean nodded his head. "Oh, that's too bad. What else?"

"Um... sink's backed up, there's rats in the basement." She paused. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain," She said sheepishly.

Dean shook his head, clearly not offended. "No. Have you seen the rats or have you just heard scratching?"

Jenny sighed. "It's just the scratching, actually," She said.

"Mom?" Sairie asked and her mom turned to kneel in front of her. "Ask them if it was here when they lived here."

Sam stared at the girl quizzically. "What, Sairie?" He asked.

Sairie turned to him. "The thing in my closet."

Jenny shook her head. "Oh no, baby, there was nothing in their closets." She turned to Sam and Dean expectantly. "Right?"

Sam nodded. "Right. No, of course not."

Jenny sighed. "She had a nightmare the other night," She explained to them.

Sairie shook her head. "I wasn't dreaming. It came into my bedroom-and it was on fire," She stated and that got the brother's attention.

"What was 'it' Sairie?" Sam asked gently. She shook her head, looking scared. Sam stood up, not wanting to push it. Dean however, knelt down.

"Sairie. What was the thing?" he asked, his voice more low and urgent than gentle. Sairie shook her head again and covered her face. Her mother saw her and came up behind her, picking the little blonde girl up.

"I'm sorry, you know how kids have over reactive imaginations," she said, sounding apologetic.

Dean glanced over to Adriana who was still playing with Ritchie. "And some adults, it appears," he said as he straightened.

"Well Jenny it was very nice to meet you. Thanks for letting us stop in and see the place," Sam said, ever the gentleman.

Jenny gave them a warm smile before hearing the phone ring. "Excuse me will you, can you four see yourselves out?" she called as she raced into the other room.

"I guess we're going to have to," Dean said, holding the door open.

Adriana sadly put Ritchie down and followed Sam out. "He was so cute!" She exclaimed, cooing about the little boy.

Sam ignored Adriana for the first time in a long time. "You hear that? A figure on fire?" He questioned as he walked beside Dean.

Dean nodded. "And that woman, Jenny, she was the woman in your dreams?"

"Yeah. And you hear what she was talking about? Scratching, flickering lights? All signs of a malevolent spirit."

Dean shuddered. "Yeah, well, I'm just freaked out your weirdo dreams are coming true," He stated and Sam grabbed Dean's shoulder, pulling him to a stop.

"Okay, well forget about that for a minute. The thing in the house, do you think it's the thing that killed mom and Jessica?" Sam asked, desperately wanting answers.

Dean threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "I don't know!"

"Well, I mean, has it just come back or has it been there the whole time?" Sam asked.

Adriana sighed. "Sam, maybe it's something else entirely, we don't know yet."

"Well, those people are in danger! We have to get them out of the house!" Sam exclaimed.

Dean nodded. "And we will."

"I mean now, Dean."

Dean groaned as he reached the Impala. "And how you gonna do that, huh? You got a story she'll believe?"

Sam sighed. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Sam. I may be awesome, but I'm not THAT awesome. There wasn't any immediate danger, we can check Dad's journal and sleep on it."

Dean made an executive decision and walked out to the car. Athena who had listened to all of this, was trying to piece everything together. It was hard being the third wheel again after fitting in for a good month. She followed Sam and Adriana who both got into the car. Dean exceeded the speed limit by at least 25mph at all times on their way back to the motel. The atmosphere wasn't uptight, but it wasn't exactly relaxed. Adriana intended to fix this. But how? She wasn't sure. She would think of something very soonly.

Dean pulled up to the motel and put the car in park, but didn't turn it off. "Hey, you two go ahead and get out. Drie, see if you can find anything on the house that we don't already know. And, teach her how to research. What to look for."

Adriana raised an eyebrow at him as she got out of the car. "First off, where are you guys off to?" She questioned him.

"My baby needs gas," Dean told her. Adriana nodded. While that was probably true, she also knew that the two brothers probably needed some time alone after visiting their old home after so long ago with those memories about their mom.

"Second off, why haven't _you _taught her how to research properly yet?" She asked, raising an eyebrow accusingly at him.

Dean made a face. "Cause research isn't my thing," He stated with a shudder. "Besides, it'll give you two girls time to bond. We'll be back in like twenty minutes," He added before driving off once both girls had gotten out of the car.

"I know how to research," Athena said, looking severely put out. Adriana had to laugh at her offended expression.

"I'm sure you do and I'm sure it's a lot better than Dean's research," she said, laughing as she unlocked the door.

The room was exactly how they left it. Adriana went straight to John's journal, but Athena would have left the family source untouched anyway. It was impossible at this stage to tell what was in the house. She sifted through some data in companionable silence with Adriana, finding nothing, before she leaned back and stretched.

"How's work been?" she asked good naturedly. Adriana briefly glanced up before flipping through the book before answering.

"Average. The new girl, Leah, doesn't exactly have my back like you did," she said, making note of a page as Athena rolled her eyes. Adriana's flirting had been notorious.

Athena laughed. "So in other words, you can't flirt anymore?" She asked playfully.

Adriana nodded, laughing as well. "Exactly."

She closed the journal and stood up from the bed to get on Sam's computer at the desk. She opened the laptop and typed "Winchester house fire November 2 1983" in the search engine bar and waited while about a thousand results popped up. She clicked on the first one and scrolled through a newspaper clipping of the fire. She began to read.

_ "On November 2nd, a fire started in the nursery of the Winchester home, burning it to the ground. Everyone in the family survived, except for Mary Winchester, mother and wife. The police say she seems to have been trapped in the nursery after trying to save her 6 month year old baby, Samuel Winchester. How the baby survived but she didn't is a mystery of the local police, but they haven't gone into research about it..."_

It continued on about how the family left town the very next day, but it wasn't telling them anything they needed to know on how to stop whatever was in the house now.

Meanwhile, Dean and Sam were five miles out of town at a gas station. As Dean fulled up the Impala, Sam leaned his arms on the roof, furrowing his brow.

"It can't be it, can it Dean?"

Dean didn't reply, he just kept pumping gas into the car, thinking hard of what to say. He set the nozzle back into the pump before turning to his brother. "Sammy, I honestly don't know. You're gonna have to rely on your freak feelings for this one," he said before walking inside to pay.

Sam sighed and placed his head lightly on the car, wondering what to do. He wasn't sure where to start or even begin on this case. Normally, they knew what to do, but being this close to back home, this close to where everything happened... it messed with them. It messed with their ability to think and formulate plans on how to move forward. He shook his head, leaning his forehead against the cool, cold metal of the Impala. If it was any normal case they would have researched on the house, but they already knew the history of it. Or some of it. Dean had already told him what he remembered-which wasn't a lot because he had only been four.

He sighed again as Dean came back out of the store. He looked a little frazzled and, as Sam studied him more carefully as he got closer, he looked like he had been crying. But, Sam decided not to delve into it and got into the car as Dean got into the driver side.

"We'll talk to dad's friends, neighbors, people who were there at the time," He said as he started the Impala up. "See if they remember anything that could help."

Sam nodded in agreement with that. "Today or tomorrow?" He asked.

Dean pulled out of the gas station. "Tomorrow. We'll see what Drie's found on the research and then brainstorm. We need to come at this with a clear head, which is something neither of us have right now," He added.

Sam nodded. That was the truth. "Okay."

He nodded again as Dean pulled onto the main road that led to the motel and in less than ten minutes, they were pulling up and parking in front of the motel. Both boys got out of the car and walked into the motel room where Athena was sitting at the desk with the laptop and Adriana was sleeping on one of the beds in front of the television, clearly not having gotten enough sleep the night prior. Dean laughed. She looked almost innocent curled up on the bed.

"How long's she been asleep for?" Sam questioned as he flopped down onto the other bed. Athena glanced at the girl, curled into a ball.

"Fifteen minutes maybe?" she said, sounding unconcerned and returned her gaze to the television before switching it off. "So. Was there a line at the gas station?" she asked, a smirk playing across her lips.

"No, it was completely empty," Sam said before Dean could.

Athena's smirk grew. "Just because you were gone half an hour, and I thought you were smart enough to fill up a car. Obviously not." She noticed as she said this, Dean remained silent, unusually so. He looked almost broken in a way, like he didn't know what he was doing or where he was supposed to be anymore.

The noise and chatter woke the sleeping blonde who sat up slowly, yawning. She blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the light before glancing around. "You guys figure out what we're doing from here?" She asked.

Dean nodded, but didn't speak so Sam did. "We're gonna interview some of dad's friends and old neighbors, see if they can remember anything. What'd you find in the research?"

Adriana shook her head. "Nothing that we didn't already know. There was a fire on November 2nd, 1983 and Mary Winchester didn't make it out in time. The investigators say the fire started in the nursery, but causes of what started it are unknown."

Sam nodded. "Sounds about right," He said sighing. "So, what are we gonna do about food?" He asked, glancing at the clock that now read 7:28 p.m.

"We can order in," Dean said, finally speaking. From being around him for so long and knowing his voice, she recognized something different about it. She didn't have to look up, but she knew there was something wrong with him.

"Hey, Dean," Adriana said and the emerald-eyed hunter turned towards her. "I glued pink rhinestones to your gun," She told with a wink.

Dean paused for a moment before cracking a grin. "Adriana I swear, if you glued pink rhinestones to my gun, I will kill you."

"You couldn't touch me. I'm too fast," She said, almost challengingly, glad she had gotten him out of whatever mood he had been in.

Dean cocked his head, considering her position on the bed. "Oh, I doubt it," he said, darting over to her, trying to grab her and toss her onto the other bed. Adriana however rolled away onto the floor and stood up in a fighting stance. Sam and Athena both stayed at the dining room table, watching the fight. Dean stalked forward, palms out.

"I figure now's an excellent time to practice," Adriana said as she lightly hopped onto the other bed.

Dean smirked and continued to advance on her, his eyes darting around. He grabbed forward but was knocked off balance by Adriana's leg to his chest. He stumbled backwards before going for a more offensive method and charging her, flinging his arms around her waist. She swivelled, battering him with elbows and fists but Dean gritted his teeth and dumped her on the bed. She rolled off and wrapped one of her feet around his legs, causing him to trip forward on to the ground. She quickly hopped up and straddled his back, twisting one of his arms backwards.

Sam laughed. "Dean, if she kicks your ass, you deserve to have pink rhinestones glued to your gun," He said teasingly.

Adriana turned and glared at Sam. "What? You saying you don't think I can beat Dean?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Dean took her temporary distraction, and used it to his advantage. He quickly pulled his arm out of her grasp once it loosened when she started talking to Sam. He flipped over onto his back, pushing her backwards before straddling her waist. He grabbed her leg and pushed it forward, putting pressure on it between his two arms. She used her free leg and brought it around in front, pulling Dean down onto the ground, forcing him to let go of her other leg. He wiggled his way out of the lock and hopped up, standing in a fighting stance.

Adrian laughed. "You're actually gonna fight with me?" She asked.

Dean shrugged, winking. "I know you can take it. Besides, I'll go easy on you."

Adriana glared and snapped her fist out, aiming it at Dean's face. Dean parried it with his hand and ducked under, slugging her in her stomach. She stumbled backwards, bending over to catch her breath as Dean smirked. The smirk disappeared when she uppercut his chin, smacking him from her lowered position.

"You'll go easy on _me_? Good joke Dean," she said as she spun and delivered a kick to his knee cap, causing it to buckle and him to grunt in pain.

Sam was watching in fits of laughter, while Athena was torn between laughing and observing, noticing the tactics they both used. Dean flipped his body up, grabbing her shoulder and twisting it, causing her to wince. Sam felt the need to start forward, to stop Dean from hurting her but Adriana jabbed an elbow straight into his solarplex. As he retched, trying to keep his breath, she punched him in the cheek before knocking him to the ground.

"That must hurt Dean. Beaten by a girl, a blonde girl, a blonde girl half your size," she gloated as he stood up, wincing.

"It does hurt. But no girl I know can knock out a supernatural creature in three hits," he said, bending his neck to click it.

Adriana laughed, but was quickly replaced by a grimace of pain as Dean kicked her legs out from underneath her, sending her onto her back on the ground. She tried to catch her breath, but the oldest Winchester didn't give her a chance. He quickly flipped her over onto her back, straddling her and twisted her arm behind her. She gritted her teeth in pain before tapping on the floor with her free hand. As she tapped out, Dean let go falling back off of her.

Sam rolled his eyes as Adriana sat up, rubbing her shoulder. "You couldn't just have let her win, Dean?" He questioned.

Dean shook his head. "Hell no. She's a girl, and like she said a blonde girl who's half my height. That would have destroyed my ego."

"Good," Adriana commented. "Your ego probably needs a knock down." She winced again, continuing to rub her shoulder out.

Dean leaned down to help her up and Adriana accepted his hand, not too proud to admit when she'd lost. Dean turned to Athena and Sam. "Right, who's next?" he asked, a challenging glint in his eye.

Sam stepped forward. "Just because you're a caveman, Dean, doesn't mean we all are," he said in a patronizing tone.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Let us examine that. Who swung the first punch aye?" Dean asked, looking over at Adriana before grabbing Sam and pushing him towards her.

Sam desperately tried to keep his balance but ended up slamming into Adriana, pinning her sore shoulder to the bed. She reacted instinctively, flipping Sam to the ground and throwing her body weight onto him. Dean took Sam's recently vacated seat and glanced over at Athena who was engrossed in the fight.


	7. Can't Take Me

"Let the games begin," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Athena noticed instantly that Sam was more reluctant to hurt Adriana than Dean. Dean had just attacked her, trusting that she knew how to defend herself where as Sam was hanging back, and not ready to hit. He knew she could defend herself against his throws, but he was still reluctant. She was so tiny compared to him, he was afraid he would hurt her.

Adriana gave Sam an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Sam. It was just a reaction," She told him quickly, shaking her head.

Sam gave her a half smile. "It's okay Drie."

She stepped forward, playfully challenging him. "While we're here though..." she said as she jabbed him in the chest. Sam reached out and grabbed her by the waist, flipping her upside down

"Well hello there. Hope you're not afraid of heights," Sam said, preparing to hoist her onto his shoulders. Before he could, she pummeled him in the thigh with her fists.

"Don't. Mock. My. Height," she said, accentuating every word with a punch.

He laughed and swung her slightly, before letting her go. He marveled at her ability to land on her feet so easily, like a cat. Her eyes were far from being feline though. They were bright and alert and showed she was ready to do whatever need be done. She stepped one foot back, shifting her weight from the front to the back and back to the front, setting herself up in a fighting stance.

Sam laughed, shaking his head. "Drie, come on, I'm not gonna fight you," He said.

Adriana winked at him. "And just why not? Afraid you'll lose?" She asked him, her tone of voice challenging him.

Sam scoffed. "No. That's not it at all," He stated.

Adriana laughed. "Then bring it on, Sasquatch."

"Hey! That's my nickname for him!" Dean interjected. "Find your own!"

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Fine. Giganto. That better?" She asked and Dean nodded, waving his hand out towards them.

"Yep. Carry on."

Sam slackened his stance. "Giganto? What the hell Drie?"

She smirked. "It suits you," she said, laughing as she climbed onto the bed backwards, not breaking eye contact with him.

"Yeah, it suits me like Tiny suits you," he muttered, just loud enough for her to here, rolling his eyes at Dean.

"Hey Sam? If I'm so tiny, catch," she said before flinging herself off the bed at him.

Sam was caught off balanced and fell under her weight, both of them laughing, Sam a little out of breath. She climbed off him and pressed his head down with her foot. Sam jokingly wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Ew Drie, get your smelly foot away from me," he said, laughing as she hopped backwards.

Dean shook his head. "You two are pathetic," He said teasingly.

Adriana turned her back on Sam to glare at Dean. "Excuse me. I basically beat you in the match before you decided to cheat."

Dean gave her a smug look. "All's fair in love and war," He said jokingly as he watched Sam sneak up behind the blonde and wrap his arms around her waist, lifting up off of the ground.

"Sam!" Adriana squealed, laughing as he tossed her on the bed and pinned her arms down with his hands, and straddled her waist so her legs were pinned as well. Her breath caught as she looked at Sam, pouting. "Fine. Win. I don't even care," she said huffily, trying to turn her face into the pillow. Sam leant down and whispered something in her ear, making her face turn back to face him rapidly. "I swear, if you do Sam, I will never forgive you," she said, struggling to break out of his hold. Sam gave an evil wink, and his next action made it very clear what his words were.

He tickled her sides ferociously, Adriana giggling as soon as he brushed her. "No... Sam... Stop... Please!" she said, barely able to form words from laughing so hard. Sam gave her a brief respite and she gasped for air.

"Say I win and I'll stop," he said, his hands poised over her again.

"Never!" Adriana retorted, stubborn as ever. And so Sam mercilessly tickled her sides, her every move futile. "Okay, okay, you win, you win," she eventually spat out. She tried to breathe once the tickling had ceased. Her sides hurt so much from laughing and her breath was gone.

Sam stopped tickling her, pausing to catch his breath. He leaned on his hands which were on each side of her head. With nothing to occupy or distract his mind, like the tickling had done, it began to wander as he realized exactly what kind of position him and Adriana were in. He was basically straddling his best friend, and although there was nothing sexual about it, Dean would say something if he didn't move soon. He almost didn't want to move though but he propped himself up and jumped off her.

"Okay. Bitch fight now," Dean said, looking quizzically at Sam.

Athena looked over at Dean. "Who, me or you? I mean, we're both bitches," she said with a wink.

Dean glared at her. "This is serious Athena," he said.

Athena stood up and stretched. "Oh, full name, I'm scared," she said with a wink.

Adriana propped herself up on her elbows, not having moved from her spot on the bed as Sam sat beside her. "Have you guys even taught her how to fight?" She asked. "Like, trained her or anything?"

Dean shook his head. "Nope. We taught her a bit about guns, but nothing involving physical fighting," He stated and Adriana scoffed.

"Then why ask her to fight you?" Adriana questioned. "I mean, like, seriously Dean, you're gonna hurt her. If I can't beat you, and I've been fighting since I was like four, what makes you think she can?" She asked and Sam nodded in agreement.

"Maybe you shouldn't do this," Sam added. "Let Drie fight her."

Adriana shook her head. "I'd hurt her, too."

Athena stood up, looking pissed. "Excuse me, 'she' is still in the room. I'll fight both of you. Adriana. Then Dean. And I don't give a shit if you hurt me," she said, glaring at them all.

Dean had an expression on his face like he expected nothing less from the girl. Adriana looked a bit shocked but took a fighting stance. Athena stepped forward, standing relaxed but wary, watching Adriana. Adriana kicked at her head, not gently and Athena bent backwards, avoiding it, before returning with her own fist to the blonde's gut. Adriana stumbled back a moment before narrowing her eyes and doing a sweep kick, knocking Athena onto her back on the ground. Adriana stayed still, not making a move to continue the attack. It just wasn't fair to hit someone who didn't know how to defend themselves like Sam or Dean did.

"I can't hit her," Adriana said, shaking her head as Athena pushed herself off of the ground. "It's just not fair."

"Drie, come on, you'll fight Sam and I, but not her?" Dean questioned.

"Yes! Because I've been fighting you guys for a while!"

"She needs to learn," Dean insisted. Athena stood up.

"And there you go with the she thing again. Look, I can fight, I just can't defend myself," she said before launching a barrage of hits onto Adriana.

She parried and blocked them, moving backwards, before spinning out at Athena and doing the same to her. Athena's defense began slow and clumsy but as Adriana continued to hit her, her reaction time shrunk. She ducked under, using her superior height to get the better of the blonde. However, skill won out and Adriana disarmed Athena, making her collapse to the ground by driving a foot into her knee cap, similarly to what she did to Dean. She pressed her foot onto Athena's neck, and Dean laughed at how easy that would have been to move.

"Yeah, she needs to learn. Why don't you teach her some moves first before you send her into a battle. We were taught things before we were pitted against each other," Adriana stated. "You think my dad really threw me in a fight against you, Dean, without telling me how to beat you?"

"Well, when you put it that way. Okay, I'll teach her," Dean said authoritatively.

Sam groaned. "But you'll teach her all your bad habits!" he exclaimed. Dean made a 'pfft' noise as he helped Athena up.

"I don't have any bad habits," he said loftily. Sam rolled his eyes but motioned for them to proceed. "Okay. If there's a creature coming at you from the front, you wanna duck and get them in their weak spots: chin, chest, and the obvious one," he said with a wink. Athena laughed as he pointed to each area.

"Okay. But what if they land a hit first?" she asked.

Dean paused before swinging a punch in her direction, catching her in the cheek. Athena's head snapped to the side, and she grabbed her injured face before glaring at Dean and kicking out at him. He easily caught her foot, leaving her hopping for balance. "Rule number one: don't get angry. It clouds your judgment, and you're fighting on pure rage, not skill."

Athena yanked her foot out of his grip, and touched her cheek, wincing. "God, that hurts. How do you take a hit like that?" She asked turning to Adriana.

The blonde shrugged. "After a while, you get tough skin and it doesn't hurt as bad," She stated. "It takes a while, but you'll get the hang of fighting. Hey, after you teach her some moves, I'll spar with her. Give her sorta an equal partner to spar against."

Dean nodded. "Okay. Rule number one, don't get angry."

Sam scoffed. "Dean, you _never_ follow that rule," He stated, laughing. "I think you've fought more times angry, than you have not."

Dean shrugged. "So do as I say, not as I do."

"And this demonstrates bad habit number one," Sam muttered.

"Rule number two: speed is everything. The quicker you punch the thing, the quicker you can get rid of it properly," Dean continued, ignoring Sam's comment and Athena nodded.

"The smart thing to do would be to ask her how much training she's ever had," Sam offered.

Dean paused, realizing this was a smart idea. "How much training have you had, ever in combat?" he asked her.

Athena thought back to her childhood. "I did boxing for three years when I was fifteen, but I was too long, not stocky enough for it," she said laughing.

Adriana, who was still lying beside Sam on the bed, piped up. "Like Dean said, speed is everything. You can be big and built, but if someone's quicker than you, they'll get the upper hand everytime." She nodded once, winking at Dean who glared. "Isn't that right, Dean?"

Athena glanced between the two before turning to him. "Dean, has she ever beaten you before?" She asked and his glare darkened at Adriana.

"A few times," He muttered.

Adriana laughed, staring at him. "I've beaten you plenty of times!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, back in the day when I was still in high school!" He defended himself.

"Oh no, I distinctly remember beating you a couple of times before I graduated high school, which would mean you were like twenty-three," She told him.

"You would remember an insignificant detail like that," Dean said, feeling annoyed.

Adriana smirked, winding him it. "It wasn't that insignificant. If I recall correctly, you bet fifty bucks if I beat you," she said.

Dean turned his body away from her, deliberately ignoring her. "So, the point I have been _attempting_ to make," he began, putting stress on the word attempting "is that you need to be fast. I know you're fast, brains wise." Athena smiled at this. "But how fast are you with your body," he finished with a wink. Sam rolled his eyes. If anyone made a lesson dirty, it would be Dean.

"You're asking me if I'm fast?" Athena repeated to make sure.

"I take back the 'fast brains wise' comment," Dean said. "Yes, Athena. That is what I said."

She nodded. "Well, how do I prove to you how fast I am?" She asked. Before she had finished her sentence, Dean sent a punch straight towards her. She quickly stepped out of the way and pushed him forward, using his own weight against him. He stumbled forward before catching himself and spinning around, facing her.

"Very good." He nodded in approval before charging at her, which she sidestepped again.

However, Dean had been counting on that. As she sidestepped, he stuck his foot out tripping her. She fell forward, holding her arms in front of her, catching herself. She groaned, pushing herself up to face him again. Learning how to fight hurt.

"Is there a way to do this without me being in so much pain?" Athena questioned.

"The creatures out there aren't going to go easy on you," Adriana commented, laying her head against Sam's leg as she watched Dean and Athena. Sam instantly felt Adriana's weight on his leg but merely smiled.

"Okay, we've established you're pretty fast," Dean said, smirking slightly.

"Just 'pretty fast'?" Athena asked, matching his smirk with her own. "Give me a sequence, you do it, I'll do it and Sam can time it" she said, determined to show him that this was one of her strengths and Dean nodded.

"Fine." Dean turned to Sam who rolled his eyes.

"Are we seriously going to do this?" He questioned his older brother who nodded his head as Sam pulled out his cell phone ready to time the two.

About an hour and a half later, Dean and Athena were still trying to out do each other. Whenever one finally beat the other, the other one couldn't let it go and had to challenge again. It was a continuous circle that was never going to end until one gave up. But, knowing their personalities, Sam knew neither one of them was going to give up very soon. While the two had been going on, Sam and Adriana had ordered some pizza to munch on while they watched the two go at it.

Adriana had changed into her night clothes-pink and black thinly striped boycut underwear and a black sports bra-and watched the two continue to fight and see who was faster or who was the better wrestler. She was leaning against Sam's stomach, and he occasionally would drape his arm across her stomach, but panicked a bit when he felt her bare skin and would pull back.

Surprisingly, Athena had one quite a few challenges, most of them the speed events. Her long legs gave her the advantage over Dean's stockier figure. Her long hair had fallen down her back, and her body glistened with sweat, as she'd removed layer after layer, until she was just in a singlet and denim shorts.

"Right, I'm out," she said. She'd won the last match and she knew when to stop.

Dean just wouldn't do it. "Come _on_, Thena. One more? I'm not even tired," he lied, feeling drained. She raised her eyebrows.

"If I win, then you have to let me drive the Impala," she said, smirking.

Dean battled internally with himself. He couldn't refuse the challenge. "Fine. You can drive the impala into Lawrence tomorrow."

Athena grinned, willing to push this as far as she could. "NOT just into Lawrence. All day."

Dean pressed his lips together. "Fine, but Sam can choose the challenge so it's not biased."

Adriana laughed. "Dean trying to play fair? This is a new and interesting tactic," she said, giggling and her body shaking on Sam's.

Dean sent a glare in her direction. "Quiet, Princess." He turned to Sam. "So, what's the challenge gonna be?" He asked.

Sam sighed, shaking his head. "You guys have done everything under the sun. I don't know what else to have you guys do."

Dean sighed. "Think of something. Drie, any ideas?"

Adriana yawned, shaking her head. "I just wanna go to sleep! But I can't because you guys are still fighting!" She exclaimed in annoyance and Dean laughed.

"Well, I'm sorry for keeping Sleeping Beauty awake," He joked.

"Obstacle course?" Sam offered, a last desperate idea.

Athena turned, accepting instantly but Dean seemed a bit more cautious. "Where?"

Sam stood up and glanced out the window, down into the floodlit parking lot. "Down the fire escape, across behind where the Impala's parked, through the trees at the back and back here. First person gets to drive the Impala tomorrow."

"Okay. Sounds fair," Dean said, his voice neutral, which aroused Adriana's suspicions.

"Shake on it. I've seen way too many sneaky maneuvers tonight to ever trust you again," she said teasingly. Dean took her long hand in his, feeling the underside. It wasn't smooth, it was rather rough, from their month of combat and her time as a waitress. Adriana bounced upright on the bed, excited for the race.

"You know, Deanie, if she wins, she gets to drive the Impala AND you will never, ever live it down."

"Yes, thank you for pointing this out to me, Adrie." He rolled his eyes. "And what in the world will it take to get you to stop calling me Deanie?" He questioned.

The blonde shrugged "Don't know yet. Probably nothing. So we doing this race?" She asked, standing up and heading towards the door.

Dean and Athena nodded, both stepping out into the night air, ready to take off. Adriana laughed as Sam handed her a white cloth. She stood in front of Dean and Athena. "On your marks," She began. "Get set..." She paused as they both crouched down, ready to take off. "Go!" She waved the white cloth down towards the ground and Dean and Athena took off, both heading towards the fire escape to be the first one down the ladder.

"Who do you think's gonna win?" Sam asked, coming to stand beside the blonde girl outside.

Adriana shrugged. "I don't know. Probably Athena. She's got longer legs than Dean. He's gonna regret doing this when she can drive his car tomorrow."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, probably." He glanced down at the girl still in her night clothes. Being a hunter with fighting and running all the time, it had definitely kept the girl in shape. She truly was not a little girl anymore and Sam couldn't help but notice. When he looked up, he saw that Dean had reached the ladder first but Athena vaulted over the side, climbing down the railing. Dean's face as she dropped to the ground a good five seconds ahead of him was priceless. Adriana leaned forward, her curves being obviously displayed in front of Sam. She shivered as cold air bit into her bare skin, and Sam stepped forward and draped a hand around her shoulder without thinking. She smiled up at him gratefully before looking down.

Athena was still ahead of Dean but as she rounded the Impala, he employed the any tactics allowed method, catching her foot. She tripped and rolled out, hitting the concrete hard before recovering her footing. As she chased after him, she ignored rule one, rage powering her forward as she grabbed a low tree branch and swung into Dean, knocking them both to the ground.

"Serves you right, bitch," She said as she took off back across the car park. She reached the ladder first, this time choosing to use it. Dean sprinted his stocky build and jumped up to grab her foot. She toppled down on top on of him, winding him. Athena turned, angrily. "Okay. You're gonna get it," she hissed as she pulled him up.

Dean ducked as soon as he was standing, avoiding one of her fists. The diversion tactics turned into a full out brawl.

Sam shook his head laughing. "You can't say you didn't see this coming," he said to Adriana, who laughed in agreement then yawned.

"I just want one of them to win, so I can get some sleep. Because if Dean loses, there is no way I will let him live it down tonight," She told him.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I won't let him live it down either."

Adriana nodded as she glanced back down at the two who were full out fighting now. Well, Athena was throwing punched but Dean was blocking them expertly. Then, she threw a fake punch before spinning around and sending a roundhouse kick into his gut, sending him stumbling back. As he recovered, she took that opportunity to race up the ladder and back over to Sam and Adriana. She leaned over onto her knees, breathing heavily as she gasped for air. She was clearly out of breath, but her eyes shone victoriously.

As soon as she gathered enough breath to breathe, she danced around on the top of the fire escape, clearly happy. "Oh Dean? Forgot to mention, I used to be a gymnast."

Dean climbed the rest of the ladder, glared at them then stormed inside, slamming the door behind him.

"He's pissed," Adriana stated.

Athena looked down at her innocently. "I don't see why. After all, he was the one who hit first," she said, looking at her shoulder for the first time. A bruise was already forming and she winced as she gingerly touched it. "So worth it! Damn, I love that car" she said, looking down at it.

Sam laughed. "You and Dean are a matched pair," he said to her. Athena gave him an odd look before shrugging and going inside.

"Well, this is going to be fun," She stated. She started to go inside, but Sam grabbed her arm just above the elbow, pulling her back.

"Drie, I have a question..."

Adriana nodded. "What is it?"

"Last case we did with you, the Bloody Mary one... Mary only targeted people who had secrets about a death... My secret was I had been having visions about Jess and could have warned her..." He sighed, glancing down at the blonde. "What was your secret?" He asked, not prying but genuinely curious as to what the blonde possibly could have had been hiding from them involving her father's death. He had been racking his brain, trying to think of what her secret could have been, but so far nothing. So he decided to ask.

The change in Adriana was obvious. She went sheet white. "Sam... I," she started to say before looking down. Sam hugged her closer to him. "My dad and I had a massive blow up," she said, her voice low and broken. Sam nodded, remembering how the Winchesters had left the house for a while while Matt and Drie sorted out their differences. When they returned for the hunt, Matt had insisted they were fine. And they left for the hunt. "I told him he was a terrible father for dragging me around and I never wanted to hunt or see him again," she continued, he voice growing more and more quiet. Sam subconsciously rubbed her arm gently, trying to sooth her. "During the middle of the hunt-"

"- he got a call?" Sam asked, suddenly remembering and Adriana nodded, a single tear trickling down her cheek. "What happened on the phone, Drie?" She opened her mouth to speak but it became all too much and she burst into tears. Sam took her into his arms and rocked her.

"It was me. I was trying to apologize!" she said as she gulped in a breath. "But before I could, something attacked him. It was the wendigo, I could hear him screaming in pain as it killed him. He died thinking I hated him, and if I hadn't of rung, he wouldn't have died in the first place," she said, working herself into hysterics.

"Adriana Brielle. It was NOT your fault. The only person who's fault it is, is the creatures, okay?" Sam said, trying to calm her.

She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears and he wiped her cheeks, cupping her face. She stilled as he leaned down and his lips met hers. Because he was so much taller than her five-foot, three-inches frame, he was bent over her. She tensed for a brief second before standing on her tiptoes and tilting her head backwards, making it a bit easier for his large six-foot, six-inches build. As she kissed him back in the heat of the moment, one hand rested softly on his upper arm, keeping her balance as he bent over her, tilting her backwards, the other cupping his cheek.

Sam kissed his best friend, wanting to make her tears stop. She kissed him back, wanting her tears to stop. All of a sudden, Sam pulled away as her fingers trailed from his face to his neck. Jessica died four months ago, what was he doing? Adriana's face was so small and innocent.

"Drie... I... You... " he stuttered before pulling the door open and going inside. This left Adriana on the balcony, feeling broken and healed and more alone than ever. Sam grabbed his stuff and dumped it on the floor, beside Athena's. "It's Athena's turn on the bed, Dean," he said, not meeting anyone's eyes. The door swung open again and Adriana walked in, hoping desperately none of them would notice her red eyes but knowing they all would. When she saw Sam's stuff gone from the bed, she bit her lip.

Sam gave the blonde a sideways glance before standing up and running his hand though his hair. "I need some air," He said quietly before walking past Adriana outside.

Dean glanced from the blonde to the closed door, then back to Adriana. "Wanna tell me what happened? And why he's is acting all me-like?"

Adriana shook her head, sitting on the bed cross-legged. "There's nothing to tell."

Dean nodded. "Right..." He stood up. "I'll be back," He said before walking out of the motel room to see Sam sitting on the hood of the Impala. Dean sighed as he walked down the stairs and over to his little brother. "Wanna talk about it?"

Sam shook his head, gazing up at the night sky. "There's nothing to talk about."

Dean pursed his lips and nodded his head a couple of times before sitting down beside his little brother on the hood. "That's a butt load of crap, and you know I know it."

Sam gave Dean a look, to which Dean responded to with an innocent face. Sam sighed, knowing he'd have to say it eventually, but saying it made it real. "I kissed her," he said in a dead voice.

Dean cocked his head. "Come again? Whom did you kiss?" Dean asked.

Sam glared at him and stood up. "I kissed Adriana, Dean!"

Dean nodded in understanding, before confusion crossed his features again. "But what about Jessi-"

"I don't know Dean, I just damn don't know!" Sam yelled, cutting Dean off and slamming his hands on the hood of the car. For once, Dean didn't make a sarcastic comment about the Impala, instead sensing his distraught.

"Sam, you like Adriana, you always have. Yes, you cared about Jess and you probably still do, but she's gone. Adriana's here."

"I don't like her. She's just my best friend."

Dean sighed. "Okay. You can keep saying that all you want, but it isn't gonna make it true. Yes, she might be your best friend, but that doesn't mean you don't like her."

"I don't like her."

Dean chuckled. "God, you are stubborn." He shook his head, deciding to ease the tension. "So, was she a good kisser?"

"Unbelievable," Sam said.

"Can't say I haven't thought about it before," Dean said, smirking.

Sam glared at him. "And I hope you'll never think about it again," he said, a little venom in his voice.

"Ooh protective are we?" Dean teased as he slid off the car.

"No, I just don't like my brother talking about my best friend-"

"Who you like," Dean interjected.

"- like that," he finished, ignoring Dean.

Dean laughed. "Whatever you say, Sasquatch. So, what's our plan of attack for tomorrow?" He asked as they walked back towards the motel room.

"We need to go to Guenther's Auto Repair tomorrow. He was a friend of dad's," Sam said, remembering what he had read in the journal. "See what he's got to say about it and go from there?"

Dean nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Do we go as ourselves and say we're looking into our father's disappearance?" He asked.

Sam laughed, giving his brother a strange look. "Are you actually suggesting we tell the truth? I didn't know you knew how to do that, Dean," He joked.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever."

Sam laughed, shaking his head. "I think it's best if we keep who we really are quiet. We'll say we're cops investigating the house fire and John Winchester's disappearance. Opening cold cases and what not," Sam said and Dean nodded in agreement.

"All right. Sounds like a plan." He pulled his brother to a stop right outside of the motel door. "Hey, so why was Adriana crying? I mean, it was kinda hard not to notice her red eyes." He smirked, teasingly. "Were you really that bad of a kisser, Sammy?"

"Okay, Dean, quit with the 'cute' jokes, I'm really not in the mood for them. She was crying because prior to me kissing her, she was upset," Sam snapped.

"This much I could have figured out. Usually when people cry, they're upset. What was she upset about?" Dean asked, climbing the internal staircase.

"Just some stuff about last time we saw her," Sam said.

Dean made an exasperated noise at his cryptic answer. He opened the door to the room, to see Adriana curled up, asleep on the floor and Sam's stuff back on the bed. Athena was on the empty bed and as Dean entered the room she said, "I'm not moving."

Sam sighed as he glanced at the sleeping blonde on the floor. "She doesn't honestly think I'm gonna let her sleep on the floor, does she?"

Athena shrugged. "She figured if she was already on the floor when you got back that you'd just take the bed and not argue with her about it."

Sam nodded. "Right. Well, I'm not gonna argue with her about it, but that doesn't mean I can't move her. The girl weighs like a hundred and ten pounds," He said as he bent down and picked the sleeping blonde up in his arms. Even though he knew she weighed next to nothing to him, he still marveled at how light she was when he picked her up. He carried her over to the bed with his stuff on it and laid her down softly on one side of it before moving his stuff back onto the floor. Dean shook his head at his little brother.

"Aren't you such a gentleman," He joked.

"Yes, I am. You should learn the skill," Sam replied, in all seriousness.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yes, okay, Mr. High-and-Mighty," he said, before laying down on the ground. Sam took the floor nearest to Adriana's bed, and fell asleep, feeling confused as hell.

Sam was rudely awoken by a pillow being smashed in his face.

"You jerk!" Adriana yelled at him, whacking him with the pillow.

Sam rolled over, blinking sleepily. "What did I do?" he asked, sounding confused.

"YOU PUT ME ON THE BED!" she screamed at him, continuing to abuse him with the pillow.

Sam looked up at her, incredulous. "How do you even know it was me?" he retorted.

Adriana's eyes blazed. "Because, your brother is too much of an asshole to do that," she hissed. As if to prove her point, Dean rolled over and yelled at her to shut up, in a much ruder way. She waved her hand at Dean. "See? Too rude. Now. Why. Would. You. Do. That?" She questioned, hitting him with the pillow on each word.

"Ow," Sam exclaimed, holding his arm up and blocking her attacks as he used his other to prop himself up. "Drie. Drie!" He snatched the pillow out of her hands, disarming her. "Because, I didn't feel right leaving you on the floor."

"What if I wanted to sleep on the floor?" She questioned, but her voice was softer after his last statement. She couldn't be mad at him for being a gentleman.

"What if I didn't want you to sleep on the floor, Drie?" Sam said, trying to make her see it from his point of view. She sighed, her entire body relaxing.

"Next time... It'll be my fists not a pillow," she said with a glare as she hopped back onto the bed.

Sam shook his head and muttered "only you" before glancing at his phone. It was 8:02am. He stood up, blankets falling off his lean body and walked over to wake Dean up. Dean heard him coming over to him before he got there, but it didn't stop him from being any less annoyed over losing at least ten minutes sleep. Sam touched his shoulder and Dean rolled over and glared at him

"What!" he snapped and Sam rolled his eyes.

"No need to be happy, O-bother-of-mine," Sam intoned as he went to check Athena. Even while sleeping, she wore a smirk, different to Dean's which relaxed once he was asleep. One of her legs was kicked out of the duvet and Sam could see up to her ass. He couldn't have cared less.

"Is it time to get up already?" Athena asked, sweeping some hair out of her face. She groaned as she tried to move. She was so sore from fighting and racing Dean last night. Her whole body ached. She hadn't felt like that in a while-since her kick boxing classes. "Five more minutes..." She said rolling over onto her back.

"Nope. Gotta get up, sweetheart," Dean said, sitting up. "So, we're going as what? Detectives?" He asked Sam who nodded.

"Okay. Well, not all four of us need to go, so who goes and who stays?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged, grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathroom. "I don't care. You guys figure it out. Whoever stays probably needs to do some research."

"Research on what, Dean?" Adriana asked. "We already know the history and backstory of the house. What else is there to know?"

"Whatever then Drie. No need to take everything I say so literally," he said as he shut the bathroom door.

"Someones got his man-period today," she commented.

Sam smiled, but ducked his head so she wouldn't see. Athena rolled out of bed, landing on the floor, cursing and swearing. However, when she landed on the floor in an ungainly heap, she spotted the car keys sitting on the table and shot up, suddenly awake. She raced forward and grabbed the keys.

"I think we should go now," she said, not realizing she wasn't dressed at all.

Sam laughed. "She's almost worse than you," Sam told Adriana, who was also laughing. The earlier tension seemed to be forgotten for a moment, before she met his eyes and looked away.

"Almost," was all she said.

"So, who's going to the Auto Repair?" Athena asked, trying to break the awkwardness that had just fallen over the three.

"I think you and Dean should go since you guys know the most about cars?" Adriana suggested.

Sam nodded, glancing down as he leaned against the wall crossing his arms over his chest as Dean walked out of the bathroom, only a towel wrapped around his waist and dripping with water from the shower.

Adriana laughed. "Dean, you can't put on clothes?"

"I'm going. I left them out here."

Athena turned, the car keys still in her hand. Her mouth dropped slightly when she saw Dean half naked and her eyes lit up. Dean grabbed his mandatory jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket before turning back to the bathroom. Athena smirked to herself before grabbing her own clothes and leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door. Dean came out after five minutes, running a hand through his still wet hair, and Athena slipped in behind him. He threw himself onto the bed, and glared at the ceiling.

Adriana gave Sam a glance, but saw that his eyes were not meeting hers. She sighed. Him kissing her had made it awkward, which upset her because she missed her best friend. She walked over to Dean's bed and crouched down in front of it. "Dean?"

He didn't turn to her. "What?"

She sat down on the edge of the bed beside him. "You okay?"

Dean nodded. "I'm perfect."

"You're lying. What's bothering you?"

He sighed. "This whole case. Being back home... it's just... it's memories I buried and memories I wanted to kept buried." Then he turned towards her, smirking. "And I haven't had sex in a while," He said teasingly and she rolled her eyes.

"But you have to face those memories sometime. You can't just hide from them."

Dean's face darkened. "I can hide if I want to. Everyone has secrets Drie," he said, and Adriana didn't reply, her secret playing heavily on her mind. She stood up and walked away from him, bumping into Athena as she returned from the bathroom.

"Oh Dean? You want a solution to the last problem? Here's one right here," she said, pointing to Athena, before entering the recently vacated bathroom. Dean groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. Athena wore a confused expression but shrugged and grabbed the keys, jangling them.

Dean sat up. "Right. To drive my car, there are conditions."

Athena laughed. "Really Dean? Because after all, you're not just letting me drive it out of the goodness of your heart, are you. I won," she said, rubbing it in and Dean transferred his glare to the tall girl.

"Whatever," He said, shaking off his bad mood. "All right, Sammy, you ready to go?" He asked, but Sam shook his head.

"I think it'll work better if you and Athena go," Sam said. "It'll just work better since you both a lot about cars and neither Drie nor I do."

Dean smirked, returning back to his usual self. "I was hoping to use Drie's good looks to our advantage," He joked. "We could just let her flirt and we'd be golden to getting whatever questions we wanted answered."

Sam and Adriana glared at him but Athena piped up, smirking from the corner. "What, my looks aren't good enough?" she asked, in a tone that made them unsure as to whether she was joking or not.

Dean didn't even look at her as he crossed the room and replied, also smirking. "I haven't noticed your looks... Unlike you," he said before opening the door to the motel. Athena rolled her eyes, following him but jangling the car keys purposefully.

Adriana turned to Sam. "Why hasn't he screwed her yet?" she asked, sounding almost worried about Dean's lack of a sex life.

Sam shook his head, laughing. "Because he's unpredictable, and enjoys being so," he stated.

Adriana couldn't help but agree, then glanced around once the two had exited the motel room. "I guess it's just us two..." She said, awkwardly rubbing her arm.

Sam nodded. "Yeah..." He started to say more, but she cut him off.

"Sam, I'm sorry about last night... I don't know what came over me-"

"You shouldn't be sorry, Drie," Sam said quietly. "It was my fault."

She glanced down. "I know it's only been a few hours, but I miss my best friend," She told him softly, a small innocent like pout on her face.

"I missed mine too," Sam said. Dean was right, she would've been very helpful to subtly flirt and extract information. A small curl had sprung forward, brushing against her face. Sam smiled and reached out and pulled it. It went straight until he let it go, then it sprung back into a curl.

Adriana laughed at him. "You are so weird. Weirder than your brother," she told him.

Sam arched his eyebrows. "You know, that's a pretty big insult," he said, poking her in the leg.

Adriana giggled before assuming a mock hurt expression. "Ow," she said, pouting again.

Sam smiled at her silliness "Delayed reaction much," he said, his smile turning into a smirk as he teased her.

"Hey you. I've beaten you plenty of times," she said, whacking his shoulder.

He laughed. "Drie, you've only beaten me because I let you win," He said as he plopped down onto the bed and grabbed the remote, flipping the television on.

She pouted as she sat down beside him. "That's just heartless. You're taking away the only thing I've held dear all these years," She told him, feigning hurt.

Sam shook his head. "Hold onto the fact you've beaten Dean, that's a bigger deal."

She laughed. "Maybe I wanna hold it over my best friend's head that I can beat him," She told him, raising an eyebrow almost challengingly.

"You sure you wanna go there, little one?" Sam questioned Adriana, attempting to rile her up.

The mention of her height instantly set her eyes ablaze. "Damn straight I do," she said, standing and brushing her hair out of her face. She took a fighting stance for the second time in two nights. "Come at me, Giganto," she goaded Sam, who was calmly sitting on the bed. He rolled his eyes and mimicked her stance.

Adriana swung first. She normally did. Sam had this strategy where if he stood there for long enough, people would get infuriated and fight worse. He caught her fist easily, pushing it back in her direction, before ducking as she swung a leg. She was extremely lithe, her petite figure gave her immense speed over his long limbs and she was flexible as hell. She ducked under all his swings, evading everything he threw at her, and replying with her own just as fast. She swung a fist at him, and it caught it in one hand. She swung the other and he did the same before pushing her back against the wall before she could kick him.

She laughed. "That's not fair!" She exclaimed, glaring up at him. The difference between fighting with Sam and fighting with Dean, was with Sam it was more playful. With Dean, she felt like she had something to prove and had to beat him. She couldn't joke around with it like she could when she fought with Sam.

Sam laughed as well, sweeping her up and carrying her bridal style. "I think this is funny," He stated, grinning as he carried her over to the bed.

"It's not funny! It's cruel and unusual! Just because I'm small and tiny doesn't mean you have to pick me up like I'm five!" She exclaimed, clearly not happy about being carried.

He just continued to laugh before dumping her unceremoniously onto the bed. She started to sit up to hit him, but he knew what her plan was. He quickly grabbed her wrists and straddled her waist, stopping her from further hitting, punching or damaging him in any way she could think of. She laughed, shaking her head, squirming to get out of his grasp.

"I hate you," she said, sounding quite certain as she sulked underneath him.

"Oh I bet you do," he said in a tone of voice quite unlike his usual one. Adriana cocked her head in curiosity, rather she tried to but being pinned to the pillow made it somewhat hard.

"Why is that?" she asked, her tone slightly cautious. Sam leaned down, just above her face, making her intake breath quickly.

"Hold still," he said to her, brushing her hair out of her face.

Adriana froze in anticipation as her best friends lips touched hers again. He brushed the hair out of her eyes as he kissed her, and she pulled her arm free, sliding a hand around the back of his neck. Sam kissed her more deeply, not pulling away like before, supporting his body weight above her, his hands on either side of her head. She brought her other hand up and tangled it in his shaggy brunette locks, holding him closer and making sure he couldn't pull away. But she didn't need to worry, because he had no desire to do so this time.

His hand rested on her side, before sliding down to her hip, tracing circles and spiral on the skin revealed. He felt her shiver beneath him at the touch. She pushed her body into his, trying to find more purchase, to kiss him more deeply. He parted her lips gently with his tongue and she gasped quietly as he continued to kiss her. Sam slid his hand across her lower back, pressing his fingers into it gently. Adriana pulled herself out from under him, lying her weight along him. Sam closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her being on him and kissing him. Dean was right, she was a good kisser, an excellent kisser. The thought of how she'd learnt how to kiss, with other guys and not him, made him kiss her harder, more possessively.

Her hair fell down over her shoulders, curtaining them as she leaned down towards him trying to match him in the kiss. He slid his hand through her hair, pushing it back away from her face, tangling into her messy curls from sleep. As he slid his other hand down her body, she arched her back against him at his touch until he rested his hand on her upper leg, just below where the material of her underwear stopped on her thigh. He deepened the kiss a bit, meeting her tongue with his and he heard a soft, high-pitched moan escape Adriana's lips, causing him to shudder a bit and groan in the kiss.

She tugged at his shirt, running her hands under it, over his hard chest, feeling him shiver beneath her. He slid his hands onto her ass, pressing her into him, causing her to gasp again, as she continued to kiss him. Sam broke the kiss to look at her.

"Drie..." he said, cupping her face gently.

She captured his lips with hers silently, not wanting him to talk. Just needing to feel him. She moved to straddle him, but his hands found her waist. With a squeal from Adriana, Sam flipped them, so he was on top once again. He couldn't make sense of it, but to him this just felt right. One of her small hands softly rested on the back of his neck, playing with his locks of hair as she kissed him. The small, tight t-shirt she had slipped on previously before Dean and Athena had left was riding up, exposing her tan, tone stomach to him.

Sam moved his kisses down to her neck, kissing down her jaw softly. Adriana arched her neck back, to give him more room. She moaned softly when his lips touched her neck as he gently sucked on her skin. He ran his hands across the exposed flesh of her stomach, gripping her hips.

Sam drew her closer to him, running his hands down her side. Adriana giggled into the kiss, squirming away from him as he touched her.

"Ticklish Drie?" he murmured while kissing her.

She giggled again against his lips as she felt his hands slip under her shirt, teasingly and lightly brushing against her sides and stomach. She gasped at the contact, trying not to giggle or squirm, but it was useless. She flexed her stomach as she squirmed underneath him, leaving him to wonder how in the world someone could be so cute in an intense make-out session. Sam kissed her collar bone gently, before sliding her shirt up around her ribs, leaving her stomach fully visible. Adriana shivered as the initial breeze hit her and Sam drew her into him. He leant over her, kissing her neck as she arched her bare skin towards him. He pulled back for a second and Adriana met his eye before struggling out of her top. Sam had seen her in a bra plenty of times, but not like this. Never like this.

Her body responded of its own accord as her hips pushed up off of the bed to brush against his. He closed his eyes briefly, growling deep in his throat and fighting back a deep desire he had for the blonde girl that started to grow. He closed his eyes, pushing the thoughts back because he didn't want to take this any further than she did. Instead, his hips pushed back down against hers, causing her to moan his name softly. Her moans and arching of her back did nothing to help push his thoughts away, they only intensified.

Sam leaned down, pressing their bodies to the bed, kissing his way down her body. Adriana wound her hands in his hair, making small cries as his lips glided against her smooth stomach. Sam kissed her stomach, running a hand up her side, and just resting it below her breast. Adriana used her hands in Sam's hair to pull his face back up to hers and kiss him deeply. Their hips pressed together once again, giving Sam a sudden ache. He fought the urge, instead kissing her deeply.

She moaned in the kiss as she felt his tongue on hers, causing Sam to growl again. He wasn't going to be able to control himself much longer if she kept moaning. Her voice was getting to him in ways he didn't think were possible. She tangled her hands in his hair more tightly, pulling it a little, to which Sam could only smirk at. Little, tiny Adriana was aggressive, something he hadn't expected. Although, the more he thought about it, the more he realized she would be very aggressive with her stubbornness and attitude she had. And her 'stubbornness' seemed to show through more and more as she pressed herself harder into him.

"Sam," she said, her voice needy. Sam took a deep breath, trying to control himself. He was going to have to stop soon as much as he didn't want to. Adriana kissed him and slid his hand from her hip up her side. Sam took the hint and cupped her breast through her bra, feeling the swell of it in his hand. Adriana moaned louder, and Sam gently squeezed it.

She rested a hand on the back of his neck softly pulling him back into a kiss as his hand massaged her breast through her bra, the other tracing spiral on her hip. He started to trail his hand from her hip, lower but the sound of the doorknob turning, and the door opening was enough to break him from his thoughts. With his thoughts broken, his head began to clear and he slowly began to realize what he was doing. He was making out with his best friend. He quickly pulled away from her as she reached for her shirt, blushing bright red. He hadn't seen Adriana blush since high school.

Sam was afraid to glance up at who had walked in on them because he already knew who it was. He knew it was Dean and he knew Dean had the biggest smirk on his face and a witty retort ready to use to make the situation worse.


	8. Home Sweet Home

After leaving the motel room, Dean and Athena had headed straight for Guenther's Auto Repair Shop, with the intention of asking him a couple of questions about John Winchester and about the night of the fire. Dean, not so happily, climbed into the passenger side of the Impala as Athena happily got in behind the wheel. She quickly started up the car, and pulled out of the parking lot, an excited glint in her eyes.

"So, where to?" She asked and Dean took a deep breath before directing her to where they needed to go. She followed his directions before asking, "So, how do you and your brother know Adriana?"

"I told you, our father's worked together," Dean replied.

"I know that, but I mean, how'd they meet up?"

"Her dad saved my dad's life."

Athena looked at him. His face was blank. "Really? I thought your dad was some kind of super God," she said, attempting to make a joke, but trailed off when she saw his face.

"It was... my dad, on principle, hunts alone. He barely liked me hunting with him. Just after mom died, he went on a hunt for a random creature, a werewolf, I think it was. He was distracted, it was more like he wanted the creature to find him. The creature would have killed him, had Matthew Tanner not been hunting it." Dean had Athena's full attention captured, with his unique way of telling stories, his voice full of emotion.

"Mathew Tanner was a hunter, in a similar situation to Dad, except his wife wasn't killed by a demon, she ran off because she was afraid of the supernatural. He was a solo hunter. Until he met dad. I don't know," he said as he shook his head. "They kinda understood each other. And they hunted together. And then, about three months after that, Matt go a phone call," he continued, shaking his head. "His ex-wife just dumped baby Adriana on him and moved to Russia. I was about seven when that happened, she would have been two and Sammy would have been three. Her and Sam honestly have grown up in this life. They've never known anything else but it."

Athena shook her head. She couldn't imagine growing up in a life like this. "But they were just kids... you were just a kid..."

Dean nodded. "He was a good dad, he was just obsessed with finding the thing that had killed our mom... it made him almost crazy sometimes. It was like all he ever did at times. He tried to be a normal father and keep us out of the life, but it didn't work for long. I think I learned how to shoot a crossbow when I was like nine."

"I fled Vegas with my dad when I was 17," Athena offered. Dean raised his eyebrows.

"How does that work?" he asked, sounding curious.

"He's a gambling addict. My mom was a business woman, and he was interfering with that, so she divorced him."

"Wow." Dean said eloquently.

"He ran up a huge debt, one that even you with your seemingly endless supply of money wouldn't be able to pay. And so we left for Toledo, Ohio."

"Why Toledo, Ohio?" Dean asked. Athena looked at him, thinking about it for one second before laughing.

"I have no idea in the slightest. But I learnt how to evade federal police pretty damn well," she said, sighing. "I was named for a casino!" she said, giving him a look that showed him she was still slightly shocked about this.

"That's always fun, what casino?"

"I was conceived in a casino called 'Olympia'," she said with a laugh. Dean gave her a look that said 'are you kidding me'. Athena replied by pressing her lips together, trying not to laugh and nodding. Dean shook his head, muttering something inaudible under his breath. "So, anyways," She continued. "I guess the reason why my dad chose Toledo was because it was such a small town... a place where we could start over new."

Dean nodded. "That makes sense."

Athena nodded. "So, where did you guys live?"

Dean shrugged. "Motels. Whatever city the case was in, us kids were left in the motel room while they hunted the creature. We attended the school in that area for however long it took them to hunt and kill it, then we left and moved on to the next town."

Athena smiled as she glanced at him, trying to change the subject because she could tell it pained him a bit to talk about his childhood. "So, how was Drie when she was little? Still stubborn as hell?" She questioned him.

"She's become even more stubborn, if that's possible," he said, as if he couldn't believe it either. "But she was always loyal, always creative, and always hated... this," he said, gesturing to the garage.

"I don't see why," Athena said.

Dean looked at her, studying her. "Why do you?" he asked her.

Athena paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "I don't like feeling dependent," she said shortly.

"And killing things makes you feel independent?"

"YES! Well, no, but it's like... I don't even know."

Dean chuckled. "Let's get inside and see what info we can dig up," He said after she had parked the car in front of the garage. He climbed out of the car and grabbed a badge from inside the glove compartment of the car. "You know," He started as they walked up to the doors of the garage. "We're really gonna have to get you and Drie some fake badges."

Athena laughed. "And you just make those out of thin air?" She questioned.

Dean laughed as well. "No... it's sorta like a con in itself," He stated. "I'll explain later when we have more time, but we gotta get you two some badges."

She nodded as they walked into the garage and was met by a middle aged man, slightly overweight, holding a wrench in greasy, tough hands.

"Can I help you?' he said in a gruff voice. Dean glanced at Athena before he replied. Athena's attention was focused on the car behind the man and so Dean followed her gaze.

"Nice body," he said to the man, about the car. The man gave him a look and Dean quit stalling. "So, you and John Winchester, you used to own this garage together?" he asked. The man set his wrench down, scratching his head.

"Yeah, we used to, a long time ago," he said, his voice reminiscent of a man visiting memories. "Matter of fact it must be about twenty years since John disappeared. So why the cops interested all of a sudden?" he asked, giving them a once over. Athena cleared her throat, her gaze still on the car.

"Oh, we're re-opening some of our unsolved cases and the Winchester disappearance is one of 'em," she said in a voice quite unlike her own. Her accent was more southern, it matched Dean's. Dean tried not to look surprised, but yet again the girl pulled something out of the bag. Guenther seemed to accept her story.

"Oh, well, what do you want to know about John?" he asked, sounding slightly wary.

"Whatever you remember, you know, whatever sticks in your mind," Dean replied.

"Well, he was a stubborn bastard, I remember that," he said, chuckling. "And, whatever the game was he hated to lose, you know? It's that whole marine thing," he continued as Athena snuck a glance at his son, smiling. Dean ignored her. "But, oh, he sure loved Mary. And he doted on those kids." At the mention of his mother, Dean's face dropped a shade.

"But that was before the fire?" he asked, his expression and voice neutral.

"That's right," the man said.

Dean lent forward. "He ever talk about that night?" he asked in a low voice.

"No, not at first. I think he was in shock," the man replied, sounding sympathetic.

"Right, but eventually? What did he say about it?" Dean asked, prying for information.

"Oh, he wasn't thinkin' straight," He replied with a casual wave of his hand. "He said something caused that fire and killed Mary."

Dean looked shocked for a moment. "He ever say what did it?"

Mr Guenther shook his head. "Nothing did it. It was an accident-an electrical short in the ceiling or walls or somethin'. I begged him to get some help but..." He trailed off and Dean gave him a confused look.

"But what?"

"He just got worse and worse," He replied.

"How?" Athena asked quietly.

"He started readin' these strange ole books. He started going into town to see this palm reader."

Dean looked surprised. "Palm reader? Do you have a name?"

Mr. Guenther shook his head. "No."

Dean nodded once. "Well, thank you for your time," He said as he turned around and led the way out of the garage and back to the Impala. "We're gonna head into town and find the names of all the psychics in town. Then we'll head back to the motel room and fill the other two in on what we've found. We'll probably all head out from there." He waited for her to reply and she nodded her head once before opening the driver side door and climbing in while Dean got in on the passenger side, once again not happy.

"Why don't we just head back to the motel room? They've got some phone books there that we can look up psychics," She suggested and Dean nodded in approval.

"All right. Let's head back to the motel and see what Sam and Adriana have been up to," Dean said. Athena skipped off to the car.

"I swear you didn't even look at Guenther, you were too busy lookin' at the car behind him," Dean remarked as Athena opened the door and put the key into the ignition. She started the car, revving the accelerator as Dean rolled his eyes. She took off quickly, leaving huge skid marks and dropping the clutch.

Dean yelled at her, "Be careful!"

Athena laughed, and sped along the highway back to the motel, enjoying the feeling of the car beneath her. After Dean's initial panic that she might have left tyre in the carpark, he began to relax as well. He had to admit, Athena handled the car well, not that he would ever tell her. Her head would become far too big. She was the picture of confidence as he glanced at her. Guys liked confident chicks, him included. She turned into the motel and shut off the car, sighing.

"Are we going out again today?" she asked as she climbed out. Dean supressed a smile.

"Nope."

Athena looked outraged. "I got to drive, like, ten minutes," she said, knowing full well it was 20 minutes into Lawrence.

Dean rolled his eyes. "You do realise you sound vapid when you say 'like'. Speaking of which, what the _hell_was that accent?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Athena shrugged. 'I figured it would draw less attention to us if I sounded like you," she said, pulling the door to the motel open. Dean nodded as he climbed the internal stairway.

"Smart," he said approvingly. Athena stopped and winked at him.

"I know I am," she said as he pushed past her, smirking.

"Just not quite as smart as me" he said, looking back at her while he opened the door. He turned and saw Sam and Adriana. Rather, Sam lying on Adriana and kissing her, her top around her ribs. Dean's mouth fell open, before his expression smoothly changed into a smirk.

"Get a room," he said, and they broke apart in shock.

Adriana glared at Dean as she quickly slipped her shirt back on. "For the record, we _are_in a room, Dean," She stated, annoyance in her voice, but he could see her cheeks were turning a slight pink as she tried to fight the blush. Sam finally turned and looked at his brother in the eye. Dean looked on the verge of laughing. But something in his eyes showed resignation, and approval. Sam stood up, smoothing himself down. Dean took one look at the pair of them, Adriana's blush steadily growing and turned away to avoid laughing.

"Well, Sammy, I didn't think you had it in you," he said with a snigger. Athena leaning in the doorway caught his eye and he looked at her and they both burst out laughing.

"I don't actually find this funny," Sam said over their noise. Adriana nodded her head in agreement.

"Actually, Sam, what I think would be funnier, was if we caught Athena and Deanie here, doing exactly the same thing," Adriana said, a slight smile playing across her lips as her blush faded. Athena and Dean simultaneously glared at her and quit laughing. Adriana nodded her head. "Exactly. So shut it," She stated.

Dean's glare softened and he smirked. "For now." His gaze met his little brother's again and Sam averted his eyes, knowing Dean could see right through him.

"So, what did you guys find out?"' Sam asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well," Dean stated as he sat down beside Adriana on the other bed because she had quickly hopped over and away from Sam when the two had been interrupted. "We found out dad went to a psychic a lot of the time."

"Do we have a name?" Sam asked, suddenly serious and focused. Dean shook his head.

"No name, but there can only be so many psychics in Lawrence, right?" he said, pulling open the draw in the bedside table and tossing the phonebook to Athena. Sam cocked his head and watched how they interacted. They actually worked quite well together. He didn't know if it was the similar personalities or what, but get the job done, they did. His brother was always more of a people person than him anyway. He liked Athena, but she was very forward.

"Psychic... P." Athena said as she ran her finger down the book.

"Glad you learned your alphabet, Thena. Now quicker than a glacial pace would be nice," Dean drawled.

Athena glared at him, before returning her gaze to the books. "Okay, so there are a few psychics and palm readers in town," she said to them. "There's someone named El Divino," she said with a snort. "There's..." she cut herself off laughing quietly, "there's the mysterious Mister Fortinsky..." she said, following her finger. "Uh, Missouri Moseley."

Dean glanced up at the name. "Wait, wait. Missouri Moseley?" He questioned.

Athena nodded. "Yeah...?"

Dean stood up and grabbed their father's journal from off of the table. "In dad's journal..." He trailed off as he flipped through the pages, stopping on one. "Here, look at this," He said as he showed the book to Sam. "First page. First sentence. Read it."

Sam glanced at Dean cautiously before reading out loud. " 'I went to Missouri and I learned the truth'," He read.

Dean shrugged. "I always thought he meant the state."

Sam looked up at Dean. "We gotta go visit this Missouri."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Should we go now? Or would you and Drie like some more alone time?" He asked winking. This time Adriana didn't so much blush as fire up.

"Dean Anthony Winchester! If you do not shut the fuck up about that, I swear I will kill you," she yelled, hands on her hips, fuming. Dean chuckled, while Sam looked a little taken aback. It took a lot for Adriana to swear. Dean however, sensed when he was pushing it too far and held his hands up in a peace gesture.

"Okay. Okay. I'll shut up."

Adriana glared at him one final time. "Good," she said, folding her arms.

"Are we going now?" Athena asked.

Dean turned on her, tutting. "I know why you're so keen, little Goddess," he said, smirking knowingly. Athena tried to give him a wide eyed innocent look that Adriana had perfected but failed. Dean shook his head and Athena's look shifted. It shifted into a predatory look before she took the keys out of her pocket and dangled them in front of him.

"Oh really? And why is that Dean?" she asked, tauntingly moving the keys and herself closer to him. Dean unwillingly leaned forward and Athena smirked before pulling back. Dean realised what he was doing and returned to his slouch.

"You want to drive. You don't want me to drive you?" he said, his smirk returning as he thought 'two can play this game'. Sam looked uncomfortably at Adriana.

"How about I drive?" he offered. Athena tore her gaze off Dean for a minute to give him an incredulous look. Sam returned an innocent puppy pout. "Or not," he muttered to Adriana.

"Adriana, do you want to go today or tomorrow?" Dean asked, pulling a chair out from the table and chucking his feet up on it, closing his eyes. Adriana sensed her chance to get one up on Dean from his previous jibes.

"I definitely think we should go today," she said.

Dean's eyes opened in annoyance. "You just set yourself up for that brother," Sam said, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he walked to get his jacket. Athena slid the keys into her pocket, looking smug. Adriana gave Dean a smirk that equated his own as she followed Sam. Dean groaned before pulling himself out of the chair.

"But you haven't seen her drive," he protested.

Adriana grinned, turning around to walk backwards. "No, you're right. I haven't. But I'm about to be able to witness it," She told him, the smirk still playing on her lips.

Dean glared at the blonde. She could be so infuriating sometimes. And then he realized she was just picking up from his habits from being with him after so many years. "Yeah, whatever."

"You're sure this is a good idea?" Sam whispered to Dean as the four of them sat on a couch in the waiting room of the psychic house.

Dean shrugged. "Dude, we don't really have much to go on right now. This is the only lead we've gotten," He said.

A man walked past them as a short black woman followed after him. As she spoke, she had a soft, southern accent much similar to Adriana's. "All right, there, don't worry about a thing. Your wife is crazy about you." She closed the door after the man had walked out and turned to face the four sitting on the couch as they stood up. "Phew. Poor bastard. His wife is cold bangin' the gardener." She shook her head.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Dean asked.

Missouri shook her head. "People don't come here for the truth. They come here for good news." She sighed. "Well, come on in you four. I ain't got all day," She stated, leading the way into the back room where she did her readings. Her gaze swept over all them, and she smiled. "Well, let me look at ya," She continued to smile. "Oh you boys sure grew up handsome, and you sure became a knockout, Little One," she said, directing the last part at Adriana. Strangely, she accepted the name without defense. "Especially as you were one goofy lookin' kid," she continued, pointing a finger at Dean. Dean glared as Sam smirked at his brother. Missouri quickly glanced at Athena, once again standing at the back of the group, her gaze travelling over her without comment. Her quick eyes darted back to Sam's. "Sam," she said, taking his hands in her warm ones. "Oh honey," she began, sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry about your girlfriend." The group cast shocked looks at each other. "And your father? he's missin'?"

"How'd you know all that?" Sam asked in awe.

"Well you were thinkin' it just now," she said in a tone that implied it was obvious. Sam raised his eyebrows, surprised at her response.

"Well where is he? Is he okay?" Dean asked, pushing the topic forward and the obvious worry entering his voice.

Missouri shrugged. "I don't know."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Don't know? Aren't you a psychic?"

He was annoyed. He thought they had gotten a lead but only turned out this was also a dead end as well. That's all they were ever getting was dead ends. It wasn't fair and it was becoming frustrating and annoying as hell. He just wanted to get some information that could actually help and lead them to where their father was. He just wanted the truth and answers. He just wanted to find his dad and kill whatever it was that had killed his mother and Sam's fiance.

She gave Dean a dark look. "Boy, you see me sawin' some bony tramp in half?" She questioned.

Dean smirked and muttered. "No, but I'm sure we can offer you Adriana if you'd like to try?"

Adriana's glare darkened at him. "Did you just call me a tramp?" She asked, pursing her lips together and crossing her arms over her chest.

"The way you were acting on the bed, I wouldn't put it past you," he shot at her. Adriana's mouth dropped before she flew at Dean, pummelling him with real anger. Sam leaped forwards and pulled her off him. Missouri shook her head disapprovingly at Dean.

"You think I'm a magician? I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room but I can't just pull facts out of thin air," she said, walking into the next room. The group traipsed behind her, Adriana glaring at the back of Dean's head. "Sit please," she said majestically. Dean slouched onto the couch, his next action obvious to Athena. "Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I'ma whack you with a spoon," Missouri snapped before he could move.

"I didn't do anything!" Dean said, protesting his innocence.

"But you were thinkin' about it," she replied. Dean raised his eyebrows, glancing at the rest of the group to see their reactions. Sam smiled at Missouri, Athena smirked at Dean and Adriana made a point of sitting as far away from Dean as she could.

"Okay, so our dad-when did you first meet him?" Sam asked, changing the subject.

"He came for a reading," Missouri explained. "A few days after the fire. I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say I drew back the curtains for him."

"What about the fire?" Dean asked urgently. "Do you know about what killed our mom?"

Missouri nodded. "A little. Your daddy took me to your house. He was hopin' I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints of this thing."

"And could you?" Sam asked.

"I..." She started to speak, but shook her head.

"What was it?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. But oh, it was evil," She said positively.

Sam sighed. "We think whatever killed our mother is back... and it's going to hurt the people who live in our house now," He explained.

"Why do you think that?" Missouri asked. Sam shifted a little, not knowing how to express himself.

"Sam's been having dreams about the house, similar to what he had before Jess's death," Adriana said, sensing his discomfort. Sam smiled gratefully down at her.

Missouri nodded thoughtfully. "I'm not one to take dreams lightly but I don't understand. I haven't been back inside, but I've been keepin' an eye on the place, and it's been quiet. No sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why is it actin' up now?" she asked, thinking out loud.

Sam sighed. "I don't know... But dad going missing and Jessica dying... and now this house all happening at once-it just feels like something's starting," He said.

Dean scoffed. "That's a comforting thought."

Adriana shot Dean a look. "Shut it. You're not exactly helping the situation any," She snapped and Missouri chuckled at the blonde.

"I see you haven't changed a bit. You were just as snappy when you were four as you are now, Little One," She commented.

Dean opened his mouth and Adrian glared at him. "Don't even_ think_about calling me 'Little One' or I will chop off your head like you're a vampire," She warned him almost as if she could read his thoughts because he quickly shut his mouth. She could be vicious when she wanted to be.

"We should go to the house again," Sam said authoritatively, all ready to charge off. Adriana looked at him in surprise; obviously something about the case being this close to home fired him up. Dean glanced up at his brother in lazy non-committal but Missouri also stood up.

"He's right. Y'all coming?" she said as she walked into the kitchen, grabbing a coat. Athena loped behind Sam and Adriana who had bounced up, before Dean reluctantly followed. The four younger people climbed into the Impala, as per usual while Missouri got in her own car. They drove to the house quickly but quietly. Dean, taking charge once again, knocked on the door as they all milled around the step. Jenny pulled it open, baby Ritchie on her hip, looking frantic.

"Sam, Dean. What are you doing here?" she said in a tone that matched her appearance. Dean tired to peer past her before Missouri gave him a not so subtle kick.

"Hey Jenny. This is our friend Missouri," Sam said, indicating the black woman. Missouri gave a comforting smile.

"If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show her the house. You know, for old times sake," Dean asked, sounding hopefully.

Jenny sighed and switched the baby to her other hip. "You know, this isn't a good time, I'm kind of busy," she said, glancing back over her shoulder.

"Listen Jenny, it's important," Dean said, pushing the matter. There was a large crack as Missouri whacked him on the back of the head with a spoon. Adriana snickered, still upset at Dean's earlier jibe.

"Give the poor girl a break, can't you see she's upset?" she asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. She turned and spoke to Jenny directly.

"Forgive this boy, he means well, he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed, but hear me out" she said as a stunned expression appeared on Dean's face.

"About what?" Jenny asked.

"About this house," Missouri replied, gesturing to the object in question. A brief flicker of conflicting emotions crossed Jenny's face.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Missouri leaned forward.

"I think you know what I'm talking about. You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?" she asked in a tone that implied she didn't think she was.

"Who are you?" Jenny asked, sounding worried.

Missouri gave the girl a comforting smile. "We're people who can help, but you're gonna have to trust us. Just a little."

Jenny glanced at each of the faces standing before her on her porch, not sure if she should trust them or not. They all looked so sincere and honest, she couldn't help but give in to them. She stepped aside a bit, allowing the group to enter into her house before she closed the door behind them. She gently bounced Ritchie on her hip, trying to calm him down. She sighed as the five people stood in her living room, quietly talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out where the first place they should start examining would be.

"Can I help you?" Jenny asked, prying a bit.

Missouri turned to face her. "Jenny, can you tell me anything that's been going on in this house since you moved in?"

Jenny sighed, shrugging. "Whatever I already told Dean and Sam. Just rats and bad lighting," She stated then sighed again. She wasn't sure why she was about to say this, but she did. "Sairie's convinced there's something in her closet."

Missouri raised an eyebrow. "Can you show us to her room?" She asked and Jenny nodded, leading the way up the stairs to her daughter's bedroom.

"This is it," She said quietly. "Look, if you don't mind, I'm gonna leave you guys in here while I go get Ritchie some food." With that, the blonde lady walked away.

Missouri sighed as she walked into the bedroom, standing in the middle of the room. "If there's dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it."

Sam cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

Missouri turned to him slightly. "This used to be your nursery, Sam. This is where it all happened," She told him and Sam glanced up at the ceiling, almost as if remembering while Dean pulled out an EMF, sweeping it around the room. Missouri turned to the oldest Winchester. "That an EMF?" She asked and Dean nodded.

"Yeah."

Missouri gave him a look. "Amateur." She rolled her eyes as Dean glared at her before nudging Sam, showing him that the EMF was beeping frantically. "I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this isn't the thing that killed your mom."

"Wait, are you sure?" Sam asked. Missouri nodded.

"How do you know?" Athena asked, from the doorway of the room, as was her standard pose. Missouri looked up in surprise almost, and ran her eyes over the leggy girl.

"It isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's somethin' different," she drawled.

"What is it?"

"Not it," Missouri said crossing the room and pulling open the closet. "Them. There's more than one spirit in this place."

"What are they doing here?" Dean asked. Missouri shook her head, as if she didn't quite know how to explain it.

They're here because of what happened to your family. You see, all those years ago, real evil came to you. It walked this house. That kind of evil leaves wounds. And sometimes, wounds get infected," she said eerily. Sam opened his mouth before closing it, thinking.

"I don't understand," he said finally.

"This place is a magnet to paranormal activity. It's attracted a poltergeist. A nasty one. And it won't rest until Jenny and her babies are dead," she told him, shaking her head sadly.

"You said there was more than one spirit?" Athena asked, crossing and uncrossing her legs. The girl was sharp, Missouri had to give her that.

"There is. I just can't make out the second one."

Dean's face was set in a grim mask of determination. "Well one thing's for damn sure. No one's ever dyin' in this house again. So whatever is here, how do we stop it?"

"I'll need to gather some things and then we'll come back here," Missouri told the group. "We need to go back to my house."

Dean nodded. "All right."

Adriana hopped up off of Sairie's bed where she had been sitting. "I'll stay here with Jenny... in case something happens while we're gone," She suggested and Missouri nodded.

"That's not a bad idea," She said, nodding her head in approval of the idea. "If anything happens though, you call us."

Adriana nodded. "Of course." She followed the group down the stairs and into the kitchen where Jenny was sitting with Ritchie. "Hey, they're gonna go ahead and head out... but I wanted to know if it was all right if I stayed behind?" She asked and Dean almost had to do a double take because he had never heard that timid tone of voice on the blonde girl before.

Jenny sighed, looking unsure once again, but finally decided it couldn't hurt. "I don't see why not," She said, smiling at the younger girl. Adriana gave Sam a reassuring smile as he pulled the door shut. She turned to Jenny.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked. Jenny glanced around the house.

"Would you mind watching Ritchie for a while? I don't trust him alone," she said. Adriana nodded and took the little boy from her, cooing at him. Jenny smiled before dashing off.


	9. This House is not a Home

Athena drove the Impala to Missouri's house, Dean glaring at the staring wheel longingly. She pulled in smoothly after Missouri and quickly entered the house. Missouri had already laid out various plants and artifacts on her coffee table. Athena approached and sat opposite her, while the boys had a quick heated discussion. "So, what is this stuff anyway?" she asked in a soft voice.

Missouri glanced up and took in her eager eyes. "Angelica Root, Van Van oil, crossroad dirt, a few other odds and ends."

Athena ran the objects through her head, thinking out loud. "Angelica root is for warding evil spirits yes?" she asked, picking it up and crushing it. Missouri nodded. "And van van oil is used to repel evil, I think..." she said, sounding less certain. "And crossroad dirt is taken from where humans make deals with Demons," she said, rolling her eyes. Missouri raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't see why anyone would trade their soul! From what I've heard, it doesn't benefit anyone."

Missouri leaned forward and said softly "It's usually to save others. Is there anyone you would trade your soul to save." Her brown eyes met Athena's grey one's as she fell silent.

"What do we do with it?" Dean asked from behind her, startling Athena. Sam came in after him, his lips pressed together, a sure sign he was upset.

"We're gonna put them inside the walls in the north, east, south and west corners on each floor of the house," Missouri said.

"We'll be punching holes in the dry wall. Jenny's gonna love that..." Dean said snarkily.

"She'll live," Missouri retorted, followed by Sam saying "I'd rather that than die."

Dean raised his hands. "Chill, it was just a comment," he said, rolling his eyes.

"This'll destroy the spirits?" Sam asked, obviously trying to move on.

Missouri nodded. "It should. It should purify the house completely. We'll each take a floor, but we work fast. Once the spirits figure out what we're up to, things are gonna get bad."

Dean nodded. "All right. Let's get loaded up."

Missouri turned to Athena. "You wanna put these bags in the car, and wait for us there? I need to have a word with these two boys," She said, turning her gaze onto the boys.

Athena nodded as she grabbed the bag holding everything in it. "Sure thing," She said before walking out, trying not to let curiosity overcome her.

Once Athena was gone, Missouri sighed. "You two wanna tell me what it is you were arguing about?" She questioned.

Dean shook his head. "We weren't arguing."

Missouri gave him a look. "Boy, you must think I'm stupid," She told him. "If the fact Sam didn't look like a little kid who was just yelled at was any indication, how about the fact that I'm a psychic. I sense energies. Don't try to lie to me."

Dean glanced at Sam almost accusingly. "Man, you have _got _to work on your facial expressions. They're gonna get us caught one day."

"They just did," Missouri stated, clearly not amused with Dean's ability to try to change the subject. "So, one of you gonna explain what you were arguing about?" Dean looked at Sam whose eyes were downcast.

"We were fighting about-" Sam began.

"Whether Dad would show up here, and where to find him next," Dean said, cutting smoothly across him with a lie.

Missouri looked at them, her eyebrows raised. "Boy, it's a dangerous game lying to a psychic and I don't think you're smart enough to play it," she said, her eyes narrowed at Dean. Dean's face was the picture of innocence but Missouri wasn't fooled. She ruffled Sam's hair on the way out. Sam turned on Dean.

"What was that! I could've told her! Why did you bring it up anyway?" Sam yelled at Dean.

Dean didn't look taken aback, merely bored. "Sam, you really want her to tell you you have a gigantic crush on Drie? 'Cause that's the only way you're gonna figure it out," Dean replied, shaking his head. Sam's mouth fell open.

"Excuse me?" he asked, his voice low and controlled.

"You're excused," Dean said with a smirk before exiting the room. Sam strangled the air in front of him, before following him, glaring at his back.

By the time the three hunters arrived at Jenny's house for the third time that week, Missouri was already escorting Jenny out.

"Look, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with leaving you guys here alone," she said, casting wary glances back at the house.

"Just take your kids to the movies or somethin' and it'll be over by the time you get back," Missouri said reassuringly. Jenny took Sairie's hand, balancing Ritchie on the other hip as Adriana passed him to her, still looking unsure. She looked at the group a final time before putting her children in the car and carefully pulling off. There was a moment of silence as they all looked at each other.

"Right," Dean said, rubbing his hands together. "How we gonna do this thing?"

"_What _are we doing?" Adriana asked, clearly not having been briefed on what was going on.

Dean held up small brown bags. "We're gonna put these inside the walls," He stated tossing a few to Sam who caught them swiftly.

Adriana laughed. "You think the spirits are gonna just let you do that?"

Missouri shook her head. "Of course not. That's why we gotta move fast." She glanced at the group, trying to decide who would be best to go with whom. "Drie, why don't you go with Dean, and Athena, you can go help Sam." Dean looked ready to argue, and the psychic gave him a look, raising her eyebrow at him.

Dean rolled his eyes, grabbing his pack of bags, and heading into the kitchen, pulling Adriana in after him. Sam laughed, shaking his head. "Come on, Athena. We'll take the second floor."

Missouri nodded. "And I'll take the basement," She stated before heading down the stairs to the basement where she was hoping she would easily be able to place the bags in the walls.

"What exactly are we doing?" Adriana asked Dean as she leaned against the counter while he took a hammer and began lightly tapping on the wall, trying to find a hollow spot.

"Putting some mumbo-jumbo herbs into the wall?" Dean offered, hearing the timbre of the noise change.

"Pass me the axe, Drie," he said, and Adriana tossed it to him, handle first. He began whacking the wall, the splintering wood covering the sound of the drawer sliding out behind him. He paused for a second and Adriana cocked her head.

"Can you hear that?" she asked. Dean listened before returning to the wall. The wood cracked and Dean reached into his pocket for the herbs. A whooshing sound was heard and Adriana yelled something, before grabbing a chopping board and flinging it into the path of an oncoming knife. Dean dropped the axe in shock, and turned to see more knives ready to fly. he dropped under a table, pulling Adriana with him. She saw the bag, on the ground, just out of reach. Dean saw her eyes, stubborn set.

"No Drie!" he yelled as she darted out and grabbed the bag, a knife slicing into her arm. She yelped, but managed to make it behind the table, her arm bleeding profusely, a large slit across her forearm.

"Damn," she said, grabbing the table for support.

Dean glared at her. "If Sam kicks my ass because you got hurt while on my watch, I'm gonna kick your ass later," He stated as he grabbed the bag from her before glancing behind him. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before racing forward, shoving the bag into the hole in the wall. The second the bag was placed in the wall, the knives stopped and Dean glared at Adriana again before helping her stand and walk over to the sink. "Hold your arm under the water," He stated, turning the sink and grabbing a cloth from out of a drawer.

Once her arm was rinsed off, he wrapped the cloth around the wound, tying it tightly. "Thanks," She told him wincing slightly.

"If Sam kicks my ass, I'm kicking yours," He stated again before leading the way upstairs where Sam and Athena had gone. "Sam?" He called, and paused when he heard a scuffling noise. He glanced at Adriana before rushing into Sairie's room and saw Sam lying on the ground, a lamp cord around his neck while Athena was being held against the wall by an unknown force. "Sam!" Dean called again before kicking a hole in the wall, and tossing the bag into it. Just like in the kitchen, the cord stopped strangling Sam and Athena was released from her hold.

"The basement," he said in a low hoarse voice.

"Shit," Dean said as he raced down the hallway.

Athena overtook him and vaulted down the stairs, landing lightly on her feet. She pulled open the basement door to see Missouri pinned against a wall by a table. She rolled out of the way instinctively as another table flew at her, catching her leg and tripping her up. She fell forwards, tucking her hands in to save her wrists from breaking on impact. As a result, her nose smashed into the stone floor and she screamed, as the table tried to squish her again. Dean skidded past the entrance, grabbed the door frame and pulled Athena up from the floor, ignoring the blood gushing out of her nose. He grabbed the bag and chucked it into the hole Missouri had managed to make. The basement fell silent, save for Adriana and Sam's approaching footsteps. Dean looked at Athena, who had tears and blood pouring down her face.

"Well, no one help the old lady up," Missouri sad, causing Dean to glance over and pull the table off her. She pulled herself off the ground, brushing down her clothes and rubbing the marks where the table had pressed into her. Sam walked into the basement, followed by Adriana. When he saw all the blood, he looked around in shock.

"Shit Thena," he said, who still had tears coursing down her face. Dean pulled her into a hug while she cried from the pain of it all. He drew back and took her face in his hands.

"Okay, this is most likely gonna hurt like a bitch, okay?" he said, warning her before grasping her nose in his hands and wrenching it back straight. A slight crack was heard and Athena cried out, flailing out at Dean and catching him in the cheek with a fist. She backed away from him, gasping from pain and holding her nose.

"It'll feel better in a few minutes," Adriana offered helpfully.

Athena glared at her. "You break your nose then let me pop it back into place, and let me tell you it'll feel better in a few minutes," She said darkly, holding her nose with her hands still.

Adriana laughed. "I have. What?" She turned to Sam. "Five times?" She questioned and he shook his head, laughing.

"I think it was six."

"Seven," Dean corrected. "Seven times. And I had to pop it back into place each time," He said, heading up the stairs.

"Why do you have count of how many times I've broken my nose?" The blonde girl asked.

Dean turned towards her once he had reached the top of the stairs. "I just told you. I had to pop it back into place after each time, so I kept count because I was annoyed of having to do that to a thirteen year old girl."

Adriana rolled her eyes, stopping in front of him at the top of the stairs. "I'm so sorry I was being selfish by asking you to put my nose into place."

Dean rolled his eyes, smirking. "Apology accepted," He said as they all walked into the kitchen.

"You sure this is over?" Sam asked.

Missouri nodded. "I'm sure. Why? Why do you ask?"

Sam shook his head. "Never mind," He said sighing. "It's nothing, I guess." He stated to say more, but the door opened and Jenny walked into the kitchen, carrying Ritchie and holding Sairie's hand.

"What happened here?" She asked as glanced around at the destroyed kitchen. She noticed the bloody cloth wrapped around Adriana's arm and the dried blood on Athena's face. "Are you guys okay?" She asked them, and they both nodded.

"Yep. Perfectly fine," Adriana told her as Sam glanced at her arm, raising an eyebrow.

"What happened?" He asked.

"She was being stubborn," Dean stated. "Like always."

"Tell that to me the next time I save your life," Adriana retorted. Jenny took in the group again,  
shaking her head.

"Sairie honey, run upstairs and close the curtains please?" she asked her daughter. Sairie looked at her with big eyes and did as she was told.

"We'll pay for all this," Sam, ever the gentleman offered.

Dean rolled his eyes. "You mean I'll pay for all this," he muttered under his breath. Missouri stepped out to Jenny, holding her hands out to hold Ritchie for her.

"Don't you worry. Dean's gonna clean up all this mess," she volunteered for him. Dean smirked, not moving. Missouri looked over at him, her eyebrows raised. "Well, what are you waiting for, get a mop," she demanded. Dean gave her a look that said 'you're kidding me' but did as the older woman told him and slunk off to get a mop.

"And don't you cuss at me," she called after his retreating back, shaking her head.

"Thank you," Jenny said, meeting all of their eyes. Missouri nodded and handed the baby back to her, Adriana gave her a hug. Athena sullenly walked past, still holding her nose and Sam shook her hand.

"Yo! Dean!" he called before pulling open the front door, leaving Dean to find his own way out. Athena reached into her pocket and pulled the Impala keys out, holding them out randomly as Dean jogged over to the group. Dean looked at the keys, then at Athena, then at her.

"Don't. Say. A. Word," she said, tossing the keys to him.

"I'll see you youngsters tomorrow," Missouri said, climbing in her car ad pulling away. As soon as Dean unlocked the car, Athena slid in the back, putting her head in her hands. Sam glanced at Dean before following her. Adriana let out an affected sigh, as if she'd rather die than sit in the front with Dean, but climbed in all the same.

"Hey," Sam said to Athena softly, as they pulled away. The thing about the Impala's engine is that it made it perfectly plausible to have two conversations running at once and keep them relatively private. "You all right?" Sam asked her quietly.

Athena nodded. "Yeah. I'm perfectly fine. I just got my nose broken and popped back into place, is all," She said bitterly, rubbing her nose.

"Like Adriana said, it'll feel better after a while," He told her quietly. "Is that all that's bothering you?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No. But," She shrugged. "It's not really something you can help me with," She added and Sam nodded, knowing he shouldn't push the subject.

Up in the front, Dean was trying to be sympathetic to Adriana, but his sarcasm and wit kept getting in the way. "Dean, just stop," Adriana groaned. "Let it go."

"So, you make-out with all guys you meet?" Dean asked and Adriana shot him a glare. He smirked. "If that's the case, I'm all game," He said, winking teasingly. Adriana smacked him in the arm, causing the Impala to swing slightly over the shoulder of the road.

"That's disgusting, Dean," she said, wrinkling her nose. Dean looked at her nose.

"You don't even look like you've had your nose broken once," he said, slightly jealous as he touched his own. Adriana smirked happily.

"I know," she said, her smirk turning into a weary smile.

"Good thing mine doesn't detract from my pretty face," Dean said with a wink, and Adriana laughed. She tossed her hair back, her blonde curls bouncing, still managing to retain their shape even after heavy fighting. Dean smiled, a proper genuine smile as he went to turn off the highway. He glanced back in the mirror to see Sam looking intently at him.

"Dean. Turn around," Sam said. Dean did a double take, and finding Sam serious, pulled the car to a stop.

"What? Why?" he asked, urgency entering his voice. Sam flinched and put a hand to his head, groaning.

"Dean, something's still in there. Now turn around!" he said, flinching at something terrible being shown in his head alone. Dean spun the Impala in a circle and quickly sped back to town.

'What is it Sammy?" he said, looking back at him as often as he could afford. Sam's face eventually cleared of pain.

"I had another vision," he said. Dean nodded, and pulled down Jenny's street, not bothering to slow down. He jerkily stopped the car outside her house. It seemed undisturbed. It stayed that way for the next ten minutes. And the next half an hour after that. And the next hour after that. Dean sighed for the millionth time and stretched his legs onto the dashboard.

"All right, so tell me again, what are we still doin' here?" he asked for the fifth time. Adriana had since curled up and gone to sleep. Sam shook his head.

"I don't know, I just... still have a bad feeling" he said, unable to find the words to explain it. Athena hadn't said a word the entire time they'd been sitting there.

"Why? Missouri did her whole Zelda Rubenstein thing, the house should be clean, it should be over," Dean said glaring at nothing in particular. He looked over at Adriana, her blue eyes hidden by her eyelids. He'd of been asleep too, they both had the ability to knock themselves out. But Sam wouldn't let him. Obviously it must be something important.

"Yeah, well, probably. But I just wanna make sure, that's all," Sam said after a moments silence.

"Yeah, well, problem is, I could be sleeping in a bed right now," Dean said bitterly as he closed his eyes. Sam looked over the house again and saw movement. A figure appeared at the window. It was Jenny, screaming and battering her fists against it, begging to get out.

"Dean! Look, Dean!" Sam said sharply and Dean startled alert. He took one glance out the window before climbing out of the car.

The sound of the car doors opening woke Adriana who instantly hopped out and followed after the three in front of her. "Drie, go with Sam and get the kids. Athena, come with me and we'll get Jenny!" He shouted to the group as they rushed into the house and up the stairs. Dean and Athena were the first ones up into the hallway, rushing past Sairie's bedroom and stopped at a door at the end of the hallway that Dean knew was Jenny's.

"Jenny!" He called to her.

"I can't open the door!" She cried frantically, turning the door knob.

"Stand back!" He called back before kicking the door in, and breaking the lock. It swung open and Dean grabbed her hand, pulling her out of her room. "Come on!" He said urgently, rushing her down the stairs with Athena behind them.

Jenny pulled her hand out of his. "No! My kids!" She said, starting to run up the stairs, but Dean grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Sam and Adriana's got them," Athena reassured her and she allowed herself to be led outside by the two while they waited for the others.

"Drie, go get Richie, I'll grab Sairie," Sam told the blonde who nodded her head and quickly rushed into the nursery, picking the little toddler up out of his crib and holding him on her hip as she rushed into Sairie's room where Sam was grabbing Sairie and picking her up.

Adriana stared in shock at the fiery figure that was emerging out of the girl's closet. It was advancing on Sam and Sairie. Sam held the girl close, and covered her eyes.

"Don't look," He instructed Sairie who nodded and buried her head into Sam's shoulder.

Adriana led the way out of the room and down the stairs once she was sure Sam was ready to leave and had Sairie secure in his arms. They reached the foot of the stairs and Sam stopped, handing Sairie over to Adriana who took her hand in her own. "Sam, what are you doing?" She asked, confused as to why he was doing this.

"Take them outside as fast as you can go, and don't look back," He instructed Adriana, who shook her head, not understanding why he wasn't going to come with her. "Do it now, Drie," he said with more force and Adriana turned and went down the stairs with the two children.

She rushed across the lawn, stumbling slightly under the weight of both Sairie and Ritchie. It wasn't so much that they were heavy as she was short and off balance. She lowered the kids to the ground, and stood up, her breathing pattern normal.

"Drie. Where's Sam?" Dean asked urgently. Adriana met his eyes, worry mirrored in hers.

"He's inside," she said, her breath catching "I think something's got him."

Dean turned and fled into the house, with Adriana close behind him. As he reached the front door it slammed shut. Adriana glanced up at Dean, his face one of absolute panic. She darted forward and tried the handle, but it was locked.


	10. Home is Where the Heart Is

"Breath Dean," she murmured quietly and Dean composed himself, striding over to the Impala. He quickly propped up the trunk with a gun, rifling through the assortment of weapons until he pulled out an axe and a rifle. He ran back over to the house, handing Adriana the gun and began hacking away at the door, furiously. Through the door, Dean could hear objects being slammed. He just hoped one of those objects wasn't his brother.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he had made a hole in the door that was big enough for him to fit through. He quickly grabbed the gun from Adriana and turned to her. "Stay out here," He instructed before climbing through the hole.

She rolled her eyes. "The hell I will," She stated before quickly following after him.

Athena, who had been standing off to the side, quickly followed inside as well figuring if the blonde could go then so could she. Inside, she could hear Dean calling out for his little brother, over and over again. She followed Dean's voice and found him and Adriana rushing into the living room where Sam was laying against a wall. Adriana rushed over to him and knelt beside him as Dean raised his rifle up towards the fiery creature, totally ready to take a shot and shoot it. He only hoped that would be enough to kill it, but Sam's voice stopped him.

"No, don't! Don't!" He called to Dean who turned to him, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

What? Why?!" He questioned.

"Because I know who it is. I can see her now," Sam said, his voice soft.

They all stared at the fiery creature and after a few moments the fire disappeared, leaving Mary Winchester standing there in the same spot, looking exactly as she did the night she died. Dean's expression softened as he watched his mom, lowering his gun slowly in shock. He couldn't believe she was right in front of him. He shook his head, unable to comprehend it. He gazed at her quizzically, his voice breaking as he spoke.

"Mom?" He called out to her softly as she smiled at him and took a step closer to him.

"Dean," she said imply, and his entire childhood came flooding back to him. Tears prickled his eyes as he watched his mother walk over to his brother. "Sam," she said just as softly. Sam smiled weakly, crying and Adriana stepped beside him, grabbing his hand, looking at the woman she'd heard so much about. "I'm sorry," Mary said.

"For what?" Sam asked, confused. Mary just met his eyes sadly but didn't reply. She looked up at the ceiling.

"You get out of my house. And let go of my son," she said with force. She burst into flames. Dean took an involuntary step forward, as the flames grew and engulfed the ceiling. The force holding Sam against the wall suddenly vanished. Sam walked over to Dean, still holding Adriana's hand, stunned.

_"Now_it's over," he said, and briefly relinquished his grip on Adriana to hug his brother. Adriana looked over at Athena. Neither of them knew what to make of this, Athena even less so. She walked over to the girl and whispered something in her ear. The brunette shook her head. Adriana raised her eyebrows but Athena jerked her head at the boys, who had since broken from their embrace. They looked over at the leggy brunette and the petite blonde, both had saved each of their lives.

"C'mon," Dean said gruffly, wiping the tears from his eyes. They left the Winchester house. Again. "So, Sammy, anymore creepy feelings?" Dean asked, his natural sarcastic voice returning. Sam sighed.

'I told you Dean, now it's over, okay? Usually by over, we mean no more evil spirits, no more things that want to kill us," Sam explained, frustrated that his brother never understood anything. Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Jeez, I was just double checking, no need to overreact," he said, dramatically rolling his eyes. He looked back at Adriana, who, as always had a bounce in her step, as though she had a constant supply of energy. "You're like the energizer bunny," he told her as they crossed the lawn to Jenny.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"You shouldn't."

"Whatever, Dean." Adriana rolled her eyes.

"You just keep going and going and going and going-it could be a good thing, depending on what we're talking about," He told her with a wink and she hit the back of his head.

"Upstairs brain, Dean," She told him with a dark glare.

Dean laughed. "All right. Let's get out of here and head back to the motel. We'll get some sleep then we'll come back here in the morning with Missouri and get her to check out the place and make sure it's safe for Jenny and the kids," He said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Sleep sounds absolutely fantastic right now," Adriana said as they reached the car and she climbed into the backseat without a word.

The others all got in and Dean drove off to the motel. The car ride was unusually quiet the whole way. Dean didn't even make any witty retorts. He was too busy thinking about their house and the fact that he had just seen his mother. He pulled up to the parking lot and killed the engine of the car before climbing out and leaning against the door, silently. He just couldn't believe it. After all these years, and he had finally come face to face with his mother's spirit. It was unreal. He followed the rest of the people inside, with Sam carrying Adriana who had fallen asleep. Athena opened the door for Sam and Adriana before touching Dean's shoulder outside the door.

"Hey. You okay?" she asked, her voice low and coarse. Dean looked up and met her eyes.

"Yeah. I'm okay," he said shortly, turning to go past her into the room. Athena cocked her head.

"You look like her," she said, unexpectedly. Dean paused, one hand on the door frame. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He looked at her, and nodded, before finally getting into the room. Sam had laid Adriana gently down on the bed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Dean stood quietly, watching his little brother. Unbeknown to him, Athena was watching him. Sam glanced up, a sudden thought striking him.

"Athena?" he asked. She looked across the room and stepped inside.

"Yeah?" she asked, her tone curious.

"Do you have any siblings?"

She paused for a moment, shocked at the question. Dean looked over at her, all of a sudden wanting to know the answer. "Actually I have a little sister who lives in New York with my mom. Well, half sister." Sam nodded and turned back to Adriana, who was making snuffling noises in her sleep. Dean seemed surprised. Athena raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"

"I don't know, you just don't seem like the sibling type."

"And why ever is that, Dean?"

"Only children tend to be more confident..."

"Which doesn't explain how you were made, does it?" she said, finishing the conversation and lying on the couch. Dean shook his head, as if trying to clear the many thoughts that were happening inside it.

"Night Sammy," he said before taking the other bed.

"Night Dean," his brother replied softly. Dean fell asleep almost instantly. Sam looked over at Athena, who was just lying in the dark, before laying alongside Adriana on the bed, a hand falling over her protectively. Athena glanced up and watched the blonde girl shift closer to Sam in her sleep, not even realizing what she was doing. The dark-haired beauty turned on her side, slowly letting sleep overcome her.

The next morning, she awoke to Adriana whining. "I don't wanna get up," The blonde complained, closing her eyes and burying her head in Sam's chest as Dean tried to get her up.

"Drie. Get up," Dean said rolling his eyes.

Adriana shook her head. "No," She stated in a voice that sounded very much like a little kid. "I'm tiwed," She added, burying her head more into Sam's chest, trying to block out the light from the room and light that was streaming in from the open window from outside.

"We have to meet Missouri over at Jenny's house," Sam told Adriana who still shook her head.

"No. I'm tired. Just five more minutes," She pleaded as Athena sat up and stretched, laughing a bit at how absurd this scene was.

"Drie, c'mon," Sam said, attempting to reason with her. In response, Adriana took her head off Sam's chest and ducked under the covers, pouting.

"I'm not coming out," she said in a petulant voice. Sam shook his head at Dean, who stood up, looking mildly annoyed. Athena sat up in interest. Dean crept over to the bed, motioning for Sam to move. Sam sighed and moved, knowing his brother would move him anyway. Dean grabbed the bundle of sheets that was Adriana and picked her up. She squirmed. "Sam! Put me down!" she yelled, not realising it was the older brother and not the younger one.

"Wrong move, Adrie. If I were Sam, I'd put you down," he said cheerily, making his way to the kitchen.

"If you were Sam, he'd be an asshole," she muttered through the sheets, her voice muffled.

"Adriana, I wouldn't insult the person in control of you. It's not a very smart thing to do. Then again, you are a blonde."

"You're not in control of me you pretentious jerk!" she yelled, wriggling in his grip in a futile effort to get loose.

"Really? Ah well, if you can get out of my grip by yourself..." he continued, smirking and the attack redoubled. He stopped in the middle of the kitchen and lowered her to the tile floor, whipping the blankets away so her skin was exposed to the cool marble. She gasped and huddled into a ball.

"You're such a meanie," she said, glaring at him as she curled herself into a ball. "That's not a nice thing to do," She added and he grinned.

"Well, now you're up and awake."

"Well, what do you expect when cold marble touches your skin!" Adriana snapped.

Dean smirked. "Wear more clothes then," He told her with a wink. "Come on. Get ready everyone. We leave in thirty minutes," He added.

"Thirty minutes?" Adriana questioned in shock. "There's no way I'll be ready to leave in thirty minutes," She told him and he simply smirked at her.

"Then I will drag you out of this house in whatever state you are in," Dean told her. "So, I suggest you hurry and get everything done you can."

Adriana shook her head. "You won't drag me out."

Dean smirked. "Watch me."

Adriana shook her head again. He wouldn't do it, she told herself as she pushed herself up off of the floor to get ready.

True to his word, thirty minutes later, he was dragging Adriana out the door half dressed. She had a pair of jean shorts on, and she carrying a shirt in her hands. Her hair was still a mess from last night because she hadn't had the time to do anything with it. She had been lucky enough to put her make-up on though. She yanked her arm out of Dean's grasp to slip her shirt on over her bra. The rest of them, however, managed to look respectable. Dean and Sam were in their usual hunting outfits and Athena was matching them in tight skinny jeans and a top. She hadn't needed quite as much intense preparation in the cosmetics department as Adriana as she just wore eye make up. Her nose was swollen and she kept touching it gingerly.

On one such occasion, Dean grabbed her wrist on it's path up to her nose. "Don't. Touch. It," he said gently. Athena yanked her hand away.

"Don't tell me what to do!" she snapped back. Sam and Adriana turned and looked at her. It was _very _unlike Athena to snap at Dean. She yanked open the car door and climbed in, slamming it behind her.

"Whoa. I swear, this time I didn't even do anything," Dean said in a shocked voice. Adriana flicked him as she rode shot gun. Sam had to choose between going in the front and leaving Dean and Athena an explosion waiting to happen or going in the back with the mopey brunette himself. He sighed. For the good of them all, right? He climbed into the back. Athena ignored him and Dean took off.

"Athena, are you really okay?" Sam asked in a low voice as Adriana and Dean bickered. She turned to him, unusual anger in her grey eyes.

"No, Sam, I'm not okay. I'm tired, my fucking nose is broken, and I'm sick of only being told half of everything when you expect to know anything in return!" she said, her voice raising to a yell. Silence fell in the Impala. Dean pulled over to the road. "You know what? I'm done with lies, with half truths. Anytime you feel as though you want bestow the precious family secrets upon me, let me know. Because. I. Can _not_. Work. With. This!" she yelled climbing out of the car. Dean gripped the steering wheel, then followed her outside.

"What is your problem Athena?" he said angrily. She stood, hands on her hips, not looking so much feisty as Adriana would, but pissed as hell.

"What's yours, Dean Winchester? I don't even know who you are! What even happened last night!"

"Why do you need to know. Somethings have just gotta stay in the family," he said, trying to keep calm.

"Oh yeah? Some things? Like what? Like why your mom died? Like why your dad's gone? Every single thing I've been given a half answer, and I'm sick of your bullshit. You say it's 'in the family' yet what is she right there?" She gestured to Adriana. "_Not_ family, Dean. But she obviously deserves to know more than I do. I mean, I'm good enough to bring along, to be useful to you, but not good enough to know _anything!" _

By this time, Adriana and Sam had climbed out of the car, leaning against the Impala. "I've lived with them practically since I was born," Adriana interjected, most unhelpfully.

Athena shook her head, turning her dark glare onto the blonde. "Don't. Just stay out of this," She snapped harshly.

"You wanna know the truth?" Dean snapped, anger blazing in his emerald eyes, drawing Athena's attention back onto him and off of the petite blonde. "You wanna know why our mom died and why our dad's missing? You wanna know what happened last night?" He asked and watched as Athena nodded her head. He set his jaw, frustrated. "Good. Cause so do I. I got no clue why my mom died or why my dad is missing other than he's trying to find the thing that killed my mom, Athena. That's it. That's all I've got to go on. That's why I'm out here-why _we're_ out here-searching for answers."

Athena's expression softened for a moment as she glanced down, suddenly feeling a little bad for her snapping. She didn't know what to say, so Sam commented. "Are we good to go?"

Dean nodded, his gaze never leaving Athena. "Yeah. Let's get over to Jenny's and make sure they're all okay," He said before turning back to his car, finally tearing his eyes off of the girl. "We told Missouri we'd meet her over there," He added, climbing into the Impala's driver side, starting the car and waiting for the others to get in. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. "You guys coming or what?"

Sam glanced at Adriana over the top of the hood before climbing back into the backseat of the car. The blonde glanced out at Athena. "Athena?" She called softly.

The dark-haired girl turned softly at her name. "I'm coming," She said before walking over to the Impala. She took a deep breath, opening the door to the back and climbed in beside Sam as Adriana got into the passenger side.

"We good?" Dean asked everyone before taking off towards Jenny's house again.

Once there, Dean parked the car and Athena and Sam got out, heading over to Missouri who was talking to Jenny. Sam and Athena led Missouri inside the house as Dean got out and leaned against the front side of the car. Adriana walked around to talk to him, leaning beside him. She was silent for a few moments before she laid her head against his shoulder, placing her hands in the pocket of her black leather jacket. "I thought you said she was fitting in and you guys were all getting long?" She asked him softly.

Dean laughed. "We were-are. I don't know what it is."

Adriana sighed. "Is it me? I mean, maybe she feels like I'm replacing her?"

Dean shook his head. "You can't..."

"I can't what, Dean?" She asked.

Dean sighed, glancing down. "You can't take your own place, Drie. You're not replacing her because she's not you."

Adriana smiled at him. This was one of those few, deep moments the two had. "Give her time and she'll fit in just like I do. She just doesn't know all the ropes of how this gig can work."

Dean sighed. "It's not the same. I mean, I'm glad she came with us. She's her own person, but it's not the same without you, Drie."

Adriana laughed. "Wow. Are you actually saying you miss me, Dean?"

Dean laughed. "Don't flatter yourself, Princess." Before Adriana could comment further, Jenny walked up, handing Dean a box. He opened the lid and pulled out a bunch of old photos of him and Sam when they were really little and lived in the house. He went through a few of them, showing some to Adriana who giggled occasionally at a funny picture. Dean nodded at Jenny. "Thanks for these," He said sincerely and she waved it off.

"Don't thank me," She said smiling. "They're yours."

Dean nodded and put the box of photos into the backseat of the car on the floor. He straightened and turned to see Sam sitting on the steps of the old house with Athena beside him, neither one of them talking to the other. After a few moments, Missouri joined the two and sat on the other side of Sam, smiling softly at him.

"Well, there are no spirits in there anymore, this time for sure," She stated.

Sam glanced over at her. "Not even my mom?" He asked.

Missouri shook her head. "No."

"What happened?" Athena asked quietly, not understanding.

"Their mom's spirit and the poltergeist cancelled each other out," Missouri explained then turned to Sam. "Your mom destroyed herself goin' after that thing."

"Why would she do something like that?" Sam asked softly.

"Well, to protect her boys, of course," Missouri stated and Athena watched as Sam nodded his head, fresh tears in his eyes again. The psychic woman started to place a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, but stopped herself for some reason. "Sam, I'm sorry," She told him softly

Sam gazed up at her. "For what?"

"You sensed it was here, didn't you? Even when I couldn't." It was more of a statement than an actual question for him.

Sam nodded, then gazed down at his hands. "What's happening to me?" He asked quietly.

Missouri sighed. "I know I should have all the answers, but I don't." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "Sam, I know you loved your girlfriend, but that doesn't mean you can't love again."

Sam glanced at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Missouri nodded to the tiny blonde standing next to Dean. "I'm a psychic. I sense things and I can sense you care more for Adriana than you want to let on." Sam looked at her shocked. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Missouri waggled her finger at him.

"Don't even try and deny it boy," she said in a stern but understanding tone. Sam sighed. He wasn't going to ever admit it.

"Maybe your vibes are confused, Missouri," he said quietly before turning to look at Adriana.

He would never tell anyone, he was more like Dean than he thought. They kept it all locked inside until they just couldn't take it anymore. Missouri shook her head, pursing her lips. Sam walked over to Dean and Adriana. Dean was stroking a picture of their mum and Sam peered over his shoulder. Their mum was sitting in a chair, on the lawn of the first Winchester house. It was summer and she looked beautiful. Dean sighed, and Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. Dean kind of shrugged in surprise, before letting the photo fall into the box. Sam stepped away as Dean turned and cleared his throat.

"Thanks for these Jenny," Dean said, awkwardly lifting the box up. Jenny smiled at him.

"No problem Dean. Thanks for..." She trailed off, not being able to find the words. Dean nodded, understanding. Sam stepped around his brother and hugged her. Adriana crouched down to say goodbye to Sairie, before standing to hug Jenny as well. The group looked at each other before going to cross the lawn.

"Bye Athena," Jenny called, a small smile playing on her lips. Athena lifted a hand in acknowledgement without turning around.

"Don't you all be strangers now, ya hear?" Missouri told them and Dean nodded.

"We won't," He said as he started the car. As Missouri smiled and Jenny waved at them, he pulled the car out of the driveway and down the road. He was heading back to the motel so they could gather up their stuff, check out and figure out where they were heading to next.

About thirty minutes later, Dean was sitting on the bed in the motel, his stuff packed and ready to go while he sifted through his dad's journal. Adriana was in the shower and Athena was sitting outside getting some fresh air to clear her head. Sam was sitting beside Dean, both discussing where they thought they should go next. Dean flipped another page in the journal and paused, staring at the page with _Dean 35-111 _circled in big, bold permanent marker. Dean nudged Sam, passing him the journal to look at it.

"Hey, I think those are coordinates," Dean commented and Sam nodded his head as he pulled a map and a ruler and began to measure and plot the coordinates on the map. The result? Black Water Ridge, Colorado.

"You think that's where dad is?" Sam asked glancing up at his older brother.

Dean nodded. "I think it's the best option we're gonna get."

"So, Black Water Ridge is where we're headed next then, huh?" Sam asked.

"Yep. So, as soon as Drie gets out of the shower, we'll head out, drop her off at the airport and then head on over to Colorado," Dean stated as he closed their father's journal and placed it inside his duffel bag.

"So by 'when Drie gets out of the shower, we'll leave' you mean 'in three hours, we'll leave'," Sam offered. Dean cracked a small smile. The water shut off in the bathroom. Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I bet it takes her less than an hour to get ready," he said. Dean pursed his lips, as if considering whether to take the bet. he stuck his hand out.

"You're on. I have faith in Drie. Name your price," he said.

"$200."

"You sure you can pay that much when you lose?" Sam snorted.

"It's been five minutes already." Dean settled down on the couch and grabbed his phone subtly. He sent Adriana a message, settling back into the couch and slipping the phone into his bag.

In the bathroom, Adriana was applying her eyeliner when she heard her phone vibrate on the bench. She picked it up. It was a text from Dean. 'Pls get rdy fst or i loos 200 bux'

Adriana laughed, considering what to do. It was always fun to play the brothers off against themselves. She just had to choose who to support. She picked her brush up and applied her foundation, not moving anymore slowly than she normally would. The brothers always made out it took her forever to get ready, but she actually moved quite fast. They were just used to having Athena around who got ready in less time than Dean. She didn't know what to do about the girl. She worked through her makeup, and zipped up the bag, switching off the light and stepping out into the main room. Dean was on the couch, attempting to look causal. Sam was doing the same at the table. Neither of them noticed her entrance.

"Fifty minutes Dean. It's not looking hopeful," Sam said smugly. Dean put his feet up on the table.

"I have faith in Drie still." Adriana realised Sam must be betting on her taking longer, and she pouted without realising. She thought Sam knew her better than that. She narrowed her eyes.

"Good, because contrary to popular rumor, I can get ready in under an hour," Adriana said, her hands on her hips and her face beautifully made up. She was wearing cut off mini shorts and a black singlet, making her skin look even more tanned than usual. Dean glanced at her.

"Adriana. You are exposing far too much flesh for this hour of the day," Dean said. Adriana raised her eyebrows coyishly.

"I bet you wouldn't say that if Athena was wearing this," she retorted sweetly. Dean sighed, grabbed his bag and slammed the apartment door shut after he left the room. Adriana gave Sam an innocent glance. Sam smiled at her.

"You do realise you just lost me two hundred dollars," he said, not sounding bothered in the slightest.

"And I'm sure that's going to be _terribly _hard for you to pay back," she said with a smirk. Sam shook his head.

"That's beside the point, Drie."

Adriana laughed, stretching out beside him on the bed. "So, can you guys take me to the airport so I can get home?" She asked him.

Sam nodded, his gaze lowering to her exposed stomach for a moment before sliding up her body to her eyes. "Yeah... Drie, wait..." He took a deep breath. "I want you to go with us on this next hunt... We have coordinates so our dad might be there... I want you there when we find him." He gazed into her eyes again. "Please?"

Adriana sighed sitting up. "Sam... I don't want to hunt anymore."

Sam nodded quickly. "I know, but just this one. Please. It might not even be a hunt. I just want you there when we find our dad." Adriana sighed again as Sam gave her a puppy pout. "Please?" He pleaded with her.

Adriana sighed. "Fine. I'll go if you stop giving me that look," She told him as she sat up and he hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Drie," He said sincerely. She hugged him back, a soft smile playing on her lips. He pulled back and looked at her trusting blue eyes, feeling an overwhelming urge to kiss her again. He moved closer to her without realising. The door to the fire escape slammed shut, causing them both to jump apart. Athena swept through the room, barely pausing to grab her battered black bag, knocking off Adriana's pink one in the process. Sam sighed and grabbed his own bag.

"C'mon Drie," he said, checking the entire apartment for anything they might have left.

He held the door open for Adriana and shut the door on Lawrence for the second time in his life. The mood around the car was awkward. Dean was mildly annoyed at Adriana, Athena was being weird, and Sam and Adriana couldn't help but share knowing glances, pissing the other two off even more. Dean pulled away from the motel and onto the highway, exceeding the speed limit by about ten miles per hour. He turned up the radio, heavy metal blasting the car. Adriana smiled, she's always loved Dean's hardcore rock despite being a girly girl. Sam rolled his eyes in the back, expecting nothing less from his ever difficult brother and Athena closed her eyes, trying to sleep and failing desperately.

"How far away is Black Water Ridge?" Dean asked Sam, calling back over his shoulder. Sam unfolded a map and traced a finger.

"I'd say a couple of days drive, although it may only be one if you continue at this speed," Sam said pointedly. Dean rolled his eyes and re-focused on the road. He couldn't get to Colorado fast enough. If his dad had left them co-ordinates, he needed to find them and possibly find John Winchester.

"Have you ever been to Colorado?" Athena asked in a voice that was barely audible over Dean's music. Dean glanced at her, surprised. She hadn't done anything but moved her mouth, her eyes were still closed.

"Yeah once or twice, passing through. Have you?"

"No, I always wanted to because I hear they have a great ski season up there," she said, cracking an eye open. Dean shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. We never came for vacation. It was always work," He told her, focusing his attention on the road. "Look. It'll take about a day to get there so why don't you guys go ahead and get some sleep?" He suggested. "Sammy, we'll switch off driving in a bit, all right?" He told his little brother who nodded his head as he leaned back in his seat.

About a day and a couple times of switching around in the car, they were pulling up into Black Ridge, Colorado. Sam was in the front seat while the girls were in the back. Dean was driving like always and had only gotten a few hours of sleep. He refused to let anyone drive his car. Apparently Sam couldn't sleep very much. Because within a few moments of crossing the city line, Sam sat up quickly, breathing heavily and sweating a bit from another nightmare.

Dean glanced over at him. "You okay?"

Sam cleared his throat, running a hand through his head. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Another nightmare?" Dean asked. Sam didn't reply and Dean glanced at him. "Wanna drive for a while?"

Sam glanced over at his brother, surprised and laughed. "Your whole life you've never asked me that. Once," He said and Dean shrugged.

"Just thought you might want to, never mind."

"Look man, you're worried about me, I get it and thank you but I'm perfectly okay." Dean made a non-committed noise, as if he didn't really believe him.

"All right, where are we?" Sam asked, trying to change the subject.

"We're just outside grand junction" Dean replied, scanning the road. Sam reached behind him and grabbed a map, glancing at the two girls.

"Dean... did you ever think maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon?" Sam asked quietly. Dean sighed.

"Sam, we dug around there for a week and came up with nothing. You just gotta let her go, okay? She's gone" Dean said.

"Missouri said-" Sam began before glancing at the road. "LOOK OUT!" He yelled and Dean swerved wildly, trying to avoid whatever it was.

'What was that?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"A bunny rabbit," Sam said, looking back to see if it was still alive. The car jerked to a stop, the final motion waking the girls from the remnants of their sleep.

"YOU ALMOST KILLED US FOR A FUCKING BUNNY RABBIT?" Dean yelled. Sam offered a puppy dog pout to Dean, but Dean would not be consoled.

"What?" Adriana asked, stunned from her sleep by the movement and the yelling.

"While you might value _my _life below a tiny mammal, I bet you don't value hers below it," Dean said nastily, jerking his head towards Adriana. She gave them both a confused look, for once entirely oblivious to the situation. He swung the door open, treating his car with more violence than he normally would.

"Someone else can drive. I don't care who. I just don't want to be responsible for killing us because of a rabbit." Adriana gave Sam a look.

"You didn't, did you?"

"I had to get him back for losing $200, which, by the way is still your fault," Sam said with a smirk. Adriana shook her head and climbed out of the car as well. Athena moved into the front seat, with Dean and Adriana now in the back.

"Awe, Deanie, stop being such a Mr. Sulky Pants," Adriana said, leaning over and pinching Dean's cheek.

Dean swatted her hands away. "Don't do that," He stated.

"Why's dad sending us into the middle of the woods?" Sam asked Dean as he drove up to a visitor center. Dean could only shrug.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," He said as Sam shut off the engine and pulled the keys out while everyone got out of the car.

"So, Black Water Ridge is pretty remote," Sam stated as they walked into Visitor's center. He walked over to a map. "It's cut off by these canyons here," He said motioning to them on the map. "rough terrain, dense forest... abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place."

"Check out this freakin' bear," Dean stated, clearly not having heard anything his brother said. Adriana glanced up at Sam before walking over to Dean and Athena where there was a picture on the wall of a man and a very large bear.

"And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure," Sam stated. A grizzled ranger walked up behind them.

"You four aren't planning on going out near Black Water Ridge by any chance?" he asked. Sam and Dean spun.

"Oh no sir. we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper," Sam said respectfully. Dean pulled the peace sign. "Recycle."

The man shook his head. "Bull. You're friends with that Hailey girl, right?" Dean sighed as if his secret had been discovered.

"Why yes, yes we are, Ranger Wilkinson," he said, peering at the man's name plate.

"Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater till the 24th, so it's not exactly a missing persons now is it? You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine."

"We will," Dean replied, nodding his head.

"That Hailey girls quite a pistol isn't she," Athena said, her accent again changing to suit the area. Dean showed the least surprise out of the group, having heard her done it before, but they all shifted slightly.

"That's putting it mildly," the man said. He turned away from them, to return to his desk and Dean ushered the group out, as if to leave. He turned back, on a thought.

"Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit you know so she could see her brothers return date." Dean asked hopefully. The man nodded, and walked over to a drawer. he pulled it open, selected the right file and copied it quickly, handing the still warm copy to Dean. "Thanks," He said before leading the way outside with the group behind him, Sam shaking his head.

"What? Are you cruisin' for a hook-up or something?" He questioned his older brother.

Dean turned towards Sam, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The coordinates point to Black Water Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" He asked.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should actually know what we're heading into before we actually head into it," He said.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"Well, since when are you all "shoot first asks questions later" anyhow?" He questioned.

"Since now," Sam stated.

"Oh really?" Dean asked.

"Yes!" Sam exclaimed. "What does it even matter?" He questioned. "We know where we need to go, so why go talk to Hailey?" He asked.

"Because I wanna know what this thing is," Dean stated.

Sam shook his head and started to retort, but Adriana stopped him. "Just let it go, Sam. We'll go talk to her and see what's going on, all right?" Sam took a deep breath before nodding. He slid into the drivers seat of the Impala and drove where Dean directed him. He killed the engine as he pulled up to the house of Collins. Dean walked up the path, knocking on the door and stepping back. A girl of about 25 opened it, but left the screen door closed.

"You must be Hailey Collins. I'm Dean, this is Sam, Adriana and Athena," he said, pointing to each in turn. "We're rangers with the park service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over, we wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy." The girl raised her eyebrows.

"He sent all four of you over?"

Dean nodded. "Yes, ma'am," He told her.

"Let me see some ID," She stated.

Dean nodded and held up his ID badge to her. "Here ya go."

She studied it for a moment through the screen door before nodding her head and opening the door for them. "Come in," She said, stepping aside.

Dean nodded. "Thanks."

"That yours?" She asked nodding to the Impala.

"Yeah," Dean said.

Hailey smiled. "Nice car," She said before turning her back to them and leading the way inside. Dean's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he turned towards Sam, a smirk in place. Sam shook his head, pushing past his brother as Hailey led the way into the kitchen. "This is my brother, Ben." She motioned to the a younger man who was sitting at the table.

Ben nodded to everyone. Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance as Ben smiled sheepishly at Adriana before glancing back down. "Oh, brother," He mumbled under his breath and Sam laughed.

"Ben, this is Dean, Sam, Athena and Adriana," Hailey introduced each one, waving a hand at them when she said their names.

"So, if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?" Sam asked.

Hailey brought a pot of spaghetti sauce out of the kitchen and placed it on the table in front of Ben. "He checks in everyday by cell," She said placing a hand on her hip and the other on the back of Ben's chair. "He emails photos and stupid little videos... but we haven't heard anything from him in three days now," She explained.

"Maybe he can't get cell reception?" Athena suggested.

Hailey shook her head. "He's got a satellite phone, too."

"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asked.

Ben shook his head, speaking up for the first time. "He wouldn't do that," He said a bit harshly and Dean gave the kid a look.

Hailey sighed, stepping closer to her brother. "Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other," She explained.

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam enquired politely.

"Yeah," Hailey said, flipping the laptop open. She pulled up several images.

"That's Tommy," she said, pointing to a man of about 28 with dark hair. She played a video of Tommy sitting in a tent, basically reporting what he'd done that day. His voice sounded tinny over the laptop.

"Hey Hailey, day six, we're still out near Blackwater Ridge, we're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, talk to you tomorrow." Sam frowned at the screen and Adriana moved closer, also spotting whatever had perplexed Sam.

'Well, we'll find your brother. We're headed out to Blackwater first thing in the morning," Dean said confidently.

"Then maybe I'll see you there," Hailey said. Dean looked down at her in surprise. She sighed.

"Look, I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guide. I'm heading out in the morning and I'm gonna find Tommy myself," she explained, almost daring them to argue.

"I think I know how ya feel," Dean told her, casting a small glance at Sam. Their family bond was the most important thing ever to him. Sam looked up from the video.

"Hey, do you mind forwarding these to me?" he asked Hailey.

"Sure," she said, clicking a few buttons.

"Well, we best be off Hailey. See you in the morning perhaps?" Dean asked. She nodded.

"Not perhaps. Definitely."

They all trooped out of her small house, Sam discussing something avidly with Adriana, Athena silently sulking. They turned back down the main street to the motel they had seen earlier. It was the same old routine. Once again, the motel only had two beds and a couch. They all shared a room because if anything happened during the night, it was easier to have all four of them in the same place. Adriana looked around. From her college life back to her hunting one. She couldn't say she was overly pleased with this, but Sam had asked her to come and so she had.

"All right," Dean began. "We all know Sam and Adriana are gonna share a bed, so Athena, do you want the bed or couch?"

Athena cocked an eyebrow at him. "Are you offering me my choice?"

Dean nodded then shrugged. "I'm feeling generous. Take it or leave it," He stated.

Athena grinned. "I'll take the bed," She stated and Dean nodded as he tossed his stuff onto the couch and sat down. He glanced over at Sam and Adriana who were still standing in the middle of the room, not moving towards the bed. "Do you two need a personal invitation?"

"How are you gonna decide for us where we're sleeping?" Adriana questioned him and he simply shrugged at her.

"Easy. I just did."

"Dean Winchester, one day you will realise the world doesn't conform to your every whim," Adriana said pissily, as she dumped hers and Sam's bags at the foot of the same bed. Sam swallowed uncomfortably. Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam, as if to challenge him. So Sam crossed the room and lay down on the bed.

"Good, We're settled then," Dean said rather smugly, settling down on the couch.

"So it would seem," Sam muttered as he grabbed a pillow and put it over his face. Adriana giggled at him and poked him in the stomach. She was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed.

"Ow! That hurt Drie," Sam whined as he pulled the pillow off his face and fake pouted.

"You're silly Sammy!"

Dean sat up a bit, staring at the two. "Are you high, Drie?" He asked and his questioned was received with a pillow being thrown at his head.

"Dean, shut it." She glared at him as he threw the pillow back at her. She stood up and chucked it back. He caught it and laughed.

"Are you seriously going to have a pillow fight? This isn't a sleepover, Drie," Dean teased her as Athena glared at the petite blonde, a look that didn't go unnoticed by Dean.

"You take all the fun out of life," Adriana stated as she walked over to Dean to take her pillow back from him, but he refused to give it to her. "Dean, give me the pillow."

Dean shook his head. "You threw it at me, so I'm keeping it." He placed it behind his head and laid back against it, a smug look on his face.

She grabbed the pillow and tried to yank it out from underneath him, but Dean held onto it tightly. "Dean!" She exclaimed.

"You're mistake for throwing it at me."

"Give it back!" she yelled, yanking it and putting all her body weight behind it. Of course, Dean had a lot more muscle on it, so her grip slipped and she tumbled onto the ground. She sat up, unharmed, but severely annoyed. Athena smirked at the girl on the ground, and Adriana, irrationally annoyed by everything, whirled on her.

"You know what? What the hell is your problem?" she asked, drawing up to her full height and putting her hands aggressively on her hips. Athena looked affronted.

"What's _my _problem?" she asked, snorting with laughter. This boiled Adriana over even more.

"Drie. Calm down," Sam said from the bed.

"Let 'em work it out, Sammy," Dean called from the couch.

"Dean, you might want to see a cat fight, but I don't. I want to go to sleep without having the fear of Adriana murdering me in my sleep. You're not the one sharing a bed with her," Sam told his brother with a roll of his eyes.

"No seriously Sammy. There is some unresolved tension between those two. Let them work it out," He said adamantly.

Sam shook his head. "No-"

"You know what, Athena," Adriana snapped, her voice low and harsh. "I've had about enough of your attitude." The girl's blue eyes were dark. Dean shook his head at Sam as he moved to calm her, and Sam, for once, stopped.

"I could say the same to you, Adriana," the older girl retorted. She didn't bother to move. That was one of the major differences in the two. Adriana fought with her entire body, she let you know what she thought of her. But Athena only did what she could be bothered doing, and that wasn't usually much.

"You know what? I'm sick of your attitude. Ever since I showed up-"

"Ever since you showed up I've been thrown to the back seat!" Athena snapped sitting up, the blaze in her eyes matching the one in Adriana's. "I've taken second place to you, Princess!"

"So don't blame me! It's not my fault!" she yelled at the taller girl. Dean shot Sam a glance, sensing that they were about to fall under the wrath of Athena.

"Oh yes it is honey, you hadn't shown up, they wouldn't have forgotten that I've saved their sorry asses on more than one occasion!" Athena yelled at Adriana, speaking as if the 'sorry asses' were not in the room.

"Well maybe you should work harder to try and convince them! You only know them because of your stupid, pigheaded, arrogant cocky actions!" Adriana yelled right back. Athena glared and slid off the bed, towering over Adriana's petite form, but contrary to what most girls would have done, Adriana didn't back down. She stood her ground, glaring up at the taller girl.

"I'm not afraid of you, so you can stop towering over me. I've taken down bigger things than you could even dream of," She stated, her eyes a dark blue. "So, it's in your best interest to just walk away and leave me the hell alone." Athena glared at the girl one final time.

"I'm out," she said, grabbing her bag and storming out of the room. The door slammed behind her, and Adriana unclenched her fists. Both of the boys looked at her.

"What?" she snapped.

"Nothin', nothin'" Dean said quickly.

"Let's get out of here for a bit," Sam suggested diplomatically. Adriana sighed and stared at the door, before nodding. She grabbed her jacket and crossed the room, waiting at the door for the Winchesters. Dean walked ahead and Adriana went to follow, but Sam caught her arm.

"You okay?" he asked her gently, looking deep into her blue eyes.

"Yeah I'm fine Sam. Thanks," she said softly before making her way down to the car. Athena was no where in the near vicinity of the motel. They climbed in the Impala and made their way to the local bar, the Black Water Ale House. They all took seats in a booth, Adriana slumped over the table.

"Stop being melodramatic and help us "sorry asses"," Dean said. Adriana cracked a smile and sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. Sam rolled his eyes before pulling out a stack of newspapers.

"So Black Water doesn't get a lot of traffic, local campers mostly. But still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there, they were never found," he said, indicating to an article. Dean picked it up and read it briefly before handing it to Adriana.

"Any before that?"

"Yeah in 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959 and again before that in 1936. Every 23 years, just like clockwork." He stopped talking to pull out his laptop. "Okay watch this. Here's a clincher. I downloaded that guy, Tommy's, video to the laptop. Check this out." He pressed a button and the video advanced frame by frame. It showed a large shadow moving across the back of the tent. Dean leaned forward.

"Do it again." Sam rewound it and repeated the sequence.

"That's three frames. A fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move," Sam said, tapping the laptop's screen.

Dean hit Sam's shoulder. "Told ya there was something weird going on."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I got one more thing. In '59, one camper survived this supposed grizzle attack," He told his brother. "Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive."

"Is there a name?"

Sam smiled. "Of course. Daniel Shaw. I even have his address."

Dean nodded. "Okay. So, we'll go check him out tomorrow and see what his story is. But for now," He paused to take a sip of his beer. "Let's enjoy ourselves and have some fun."

"Enjoy ourselves how?" Sam asked. "Adriana's underage, so she can't drink. And you're the only one who's likely to pick up a hook-up."

Dean shook his head. "Drie's picked up a few hook-ups when she was hunting with us." Sam shot him a deadly glare but Dean had already turned away, sweeping the bar for an eligible woman. There weren't many to choose from but Dean expected nothing less in a small town bar. There was a thirty-ish blonde playing pool with a couple of other men. He decided to give her a miss for the present time. He continued his gaze until he saw a brunette hiding in the corner. Time to have some fun.


	11. You Don't Belong

Dean got out of his seat and made his way over to the woman in the corner. Her face was obscured by dark brown, almost black hair. It seemed familiar, but Dean shrugged it off Sam watched him go, glaring at him before turning to Adriana who was looking at him with a piercing intensity.

"Am I over controlling Sam?" she asked softly. Sam sighed. Adriana had a way of acting first, and then over thinking what she'd said or done later.

"No Drie. Not at all. Athena is just... being difficult."

Adriana pouted. "Yeah, but even that's my fault. You heard what she said!" she said, pausing mid sentence. "Have you been treating her differently?"

Sam shook his head. "Don't worry about it. No one's treating her any differently than we have been," He reassured the blonde.

She sighed. "Sam." Her voice became serious, and Sam had a feeling he wasn't going to like the direction her conversation went. "We need to talk about what happened in the motel room back in Lawrence."

Sam shook his head, fighting a blush on his cheeks. He took a sip of his beer to hide the blush. "What's there to talk about?" He asked.

"Sam, you can't run away and hide it forever," Adriana said gently. She reached her hand across the table and laid hers over Sam's. She knew she was the first girl since Jessica.

"I know," Sam said, sighing. "I just don't know what I want yet." Adriana nodded, understanding her best friend.

"Hey, it's okay. While you figure it out, let's go kill this 'grizzly'," she said, rolling her eyes and making air quotes around the word grizzly.

Sam snorted and glanced behind him to see his brother's whereabouts. He'd stopped at the bar and grabbed a shot of vodka, downing it before continuing to cross the room. What he didn't realise is that he'd been sitting at the bar for the last ten minutes, downing shot after shot. Dean felt deprived of action. Sam was a control freak who took the fun out of everything. He arrived in front of the woman. A girl of about 21 looked up at him, with big brown eyes and dark brown hair. He blinked once to clear his head.

"I may not be Fred Flintstone but I can make your bed rock," he said with a wink. The woman laughed.

"Oh I'm sure. If you're not Fred, who are you?" she asked, eyeing him appreciatively. Dean looked down at her, very impressed with his vantage point as he could see right down her top. He sat down across from her.

"I'm Dean. And you must be Pebbles," he said, winking again. The woman smirked.

"My name is Ali," she said in a high pitched girly voice. Dean nodded appreciatively.

"Well, Ali, you seem to be right up my alley," Dean said, slurring slightly. Ali let out another burst of laughter. Adriana glanced over, and raised her eyebrows.

"You really gonna let him do this? He's off his face," she said disapprovingly. Sam glanced over at his older brother.

"I really can't be bothered with him. Let him suffer the consequences. He needs to learn responsibility," Sam said viciously. Adriana's eyebrows shot back up, surprised, but she nodded in agreement.

"You know he's gonna regret this in the morning," Adriana said. "You might as well save him," She added, but Sam shook his head.

"Nah. I'll let him suffer. He probably deserves it," Sam stated and Adriana sighed.

"Fine. I'll let it go. But when he wakes up in the morning and comes at us with a gun, I'm throwing you under the bus," She told him, holding her arms up in the air in an "I surrender" way. "I'm not getting killed because _you_decided to teach him a lesson."

Sam laughed. "Gee, thanks, Drie. I know I can _always_count on you no matter what." Adriana giggled and smiled.

"I know, aren't I amazing?"

"You truly are something else, Drie, I'll give you that," Sam said, raising his bottle to her before finishing his beer. Another glance showed Dean standing up with the brunette, his hand around her waist and touching her ass. Sam looked back at Adriana, making a disgusted noise.

"Hey, he's your brother not mine," she said teasingly. Sam sighed.

"I know. He's drunk, Athena's AWOL." At the mention of the other girl, Adriana's face dropped. Sam noticed and shook his head, as if clearing thoughts.

"Let's head home, okay? We can drag Dean outta bed early in the morning to see this Shaw guy, and serve him right coz he'll have one hell of a hangover," Adriana said standing up and smirking. Sam smiled at her.

"Yes he will." They walked outside only to see the parking lot empty. Sam groaned. "Damn. Now I really wish I stopped him." Adriana poked her tongue at him.

"Told you so!" she said.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, you're right."

Adriana pouted and batted her eyelashes at him. "No need to sound so surprised," she exclaimed in a mock offended voice. She linked arms with him and began walking. He stumbled forwards.

"Hey where are you going?" he asked as he allowed himself to be dragged by her. She gave him a 'duh' look.

"Walking home. Unless you want to stay here until Dean remembers us," she said pointedly.

"But what about the grizzlies?" Sam asked in a mock terrified voice. She sniffed and haughtily stuck her nose in the air.

"I'll protect you, of course," she said. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Drie. You're like, half my height."

"Yeah and I can hit twice as hard. So shut up." She shot him a glare and he raised his hands in surrender at her.

"Fine. You can protect me if we get attacked by the 'grizzly'," Sam said as he playfully nudged her and she laughed as she stumbled a bit from the nudge.

"Glad you realize this," She told him. "Sam," She said as she glanced over at him, and he could tell by the baby tone in her voice she was trying to be cute. "Carry me?"

He laughed. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "My legs hurt."

He sighed and rolled his eyes playfully like it was a big burden for him to do this. "Fine. Hop on."

He bent down a little bit enough for her to jump up on his back. When she did, he placed his hands underneath her legs, feeling her smooth skin, and lifted her up higher. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sam," She said softly with a yawn as he continued to walk down the road towards their motel room. "So, we're heading out to talk to Mr. Shaw tomorrow morning, right?"

Sam nodded. "Yep."

"Should we try to find Athena?" Adriana asked him.

Sam sighed. "Sure. How do you propose we do that?" He questioned.

Adriana shrugged. "I don't know... it seemed like the right thing to say."

Sam laughed. "I'm sure Athena's fine and it's not your fault she walked out. Don't worry, she'll come back. She sorta has to unless she wants to walk all the way back to Ohio."

Adriana giggled. "That's true," She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, hugging him. "Thanks. For everything."

Sam smiled. "No problem," He said as he lifted her up higher on his back when he felt her sliding off. "Well, we're here," He added as they walked into the parking lot of the motel.

He looked around and didn't see the Impala anywhere, so he figured Dean had gone to the girl's house instead of bringing her back here. Which, he was very thankful for. He let go of one of Adriana's legs for a moment to pull the keys to the motel room out of his pocket as he walked up to their room door. He slid the key into the key slot and pushed the door open, closing it behind him and tossing the key onto the table next to the window. He walked over to the bed and dumped Adriana onto it who giggled.

"Hey! We've got the whole room to ourselves. No more arguing, and we get our own bed," Adriana joked.

Sam nodded. "Finally. You are impossible to share a bed with," He joked, grinning at her. Adriana pouted for about the millionth time that night. Sam shook his head, laughing.

"You can give me that face all you want but it ain't gonna change anything."

Adriana continued to pout, huffing now. "It works on Dean," she told him, her baby voice returning.

"And am I anything like Dean? That would be a no," Sam said.

"Fine," she said in a petulant voice and rolled over on the bed, burrowing her face into the pillows. Sam sat on his own bed and pulled off his shoes before stretching out along the bed. Adriana continued to stick her head in the pillow.

"You're like an ostrich," Sam remarked casually.

"How the hell do you get that? Ostriches are tall. I'm not, as you have great delight in pointing out," she told him, her voice muffled by the pillows.

"Ostriches also bury their heads in the sand. Exactly like you are now."

"You say you're not like Dean yet that tone was so freakin' smug," she said, sitting up. Sam gave her a puppy pout that rivalled hers. She smiled and shook her head.

"You can give me that look all you want but it ain't gonna change anything," she told him, mimicking his earlier words.

Sam snorted and glanced at the clock. It was late. They should sleep if they were really going to leave as early as the envisaged. Adriana started to let out a huge yawn, it travelling through her body as she stretched like a cat. Sam smiled at her as she curled into a ball, suddenly much less aware. It was her favourite way to sleep and it was what she'd be doing in three or so minutes. Her eyelids closed over her clear blue eyes and her breathing deepened. Sam watched her sleep for a while, trying to keep the inevitable nightmares at bay, before eventually succumbing to exhaustion.

_~Far Away~_

There were more women in the bar that night than Dean accounted for. The fourth member of their team, Athena, was drinking almost as heavily as her male counterpart, trying to erase the problems she'd created. She stared into the clear liquid. She hated feeling sorry for herself but that was exactly what she was doing. She'd screwed it up with one of the only places she felt like she fitted in and it was all that bitch Adriana's fault. She released tension in a hand she didn't realise she'd been clenching. She was being unfair. It wasn't Adriana's fault at all. It was hers.

There was a commotion behind her and she glanced out from her shadowy corner of the bar. The three hunters had just arrived. Dean looking almost predatory as he normally did, Sam looking protective and Adriana pouting. Dean'd probably just said something she didn't agree with.

The night progressed and she ignored them. Until Dean stood up and left, his arm wrapped around a brunette's waist. Athena watched them go. The fact that Dean was with someone else hurt her a lot more than she'd ever care to admit. She'd always be the sort of person to get jealous but not without reason. Well there was her reason. She also liked Dean a lot more than she'd ever shown to any of their group and that was how it was going to remain. She downed her last shot and slunk out of the back entrance to the bar, a woman with changed perspectives. She took the long way back to the motel and fell onto the floor, asleep.

_~Far Away~_

Morning broke. Sam awoke first, as usual. He glanced over to see Adriana burrowed into the duvet, as was her norm. She looked even more innocent while sleeping. He jumped a little, startled when he saw Athena also curled up on the floor, in a troubled sleep. His brother was either not returned or sleeping in his car. He looked over at the clock. 7:47am. Time to go and visit this Mr Shaw. He shook Adriana awake before deciding to leave Athena asleep for the time being. Adriana sprung out of bed, grinning. She loved doing anything constructive on missions. She was too full of energy, of life to be sitting around waiting, and was sure to cause trouble at any rate. She shot Sam a grin before noticing the other girl.

"When did she get in?" she asked in normal tones. Sam shrugged.

"I have no idea, but Dean's not in yet either..."

Adriana rolled her eyes and playfully punched him. "Quit worrying. He'll be fine. And if he isn't... well, that serves him right!" she told him adamantly yet petulantly.

"But what if he got eaten by the grizzly?" he asked her in a mock little kid's voice. Adriana snorted.

"The grizzly is about as real as the tooth fairy," she declared.

"Are you telling me the tooth fairy isn't real?" Sam asked, now clutching his hand to his chest in horror as he opened the fridge and pulled out some food. He felt like it'd been days since he'd properly eaten.

"You know, Sam Winchester, if it wasn't for certain other attributes, I'd think you were gay for even knowing what the tooth fairy is," she said with a wink, crossing the kitchen to help him.

"What attributes would they be?" he asked her suddenly serious. His warm hazel eyes met her blue ones and her tone lowered.

"How about I show you," she said, stepping closer to him.

As she did, the girl on the floor started awake, as if from a bad dream and Adriana sighed, stepping back from the younger Winchester. Athena sat up dazed for a few seconds, trying to realise her surroundings. She stood up and stumbled, her head pounding. She didn't think she'd had _that_much to drink. Sam was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and Adriana with a look of disgust.

"Hello," she said, her voice low.

"You show up in the middle of the night after walking out, saying nothing, and all you can say is hello?" Adriana asked, firing up immediately.

"Drie, don't start," Sam said as Athena put her hand to her head, Adriana's girlish voice grating against her hangover.

"Why should I?" Adriana asked Sam in furious but muted tones. Sam sighed.

"Because we have to get out to this house and we cannot keep constantly bickering. Just don't talk to each other if you can't be civil."

Adriana glowered. "Fine by me."

Athena stayed silent, also agreeing with this tactic. "Where's Dean?" she asked, trying to keep her face straight. Sam shrugged again.

"Hell if I know. He disappeared last night, much like you, although we know exactly where he was going."

Athena didn't respond. They ate what little food they had in basic silence, before grabbing their respective duffel bags. Athena's had been dumped on the other side of the door, as if it was reflecting its owner and trying to get as far away from Adriana's as possible.

"Well here comes the moment of truth," Sam said as they made their way down to the car park.

A black '67 Chevy Impala was sitting in the parking lot. As to whether it had a driver was a different story. Sam wandered over it to see his older brother passed out across the front two seats. He tried the door. It was unlocked. He whistled in shock. That showed how drunk Dean was if he risked leaving his Impala open and with the keys in it. An evil thought crossed Sam's mind, and he leaned forward and pressed the horn of the car hard.

Dean Winchester sat up abruptly. "Who? What?" He reached for his gun before he turned to face his little brother who burst out laughing. Dean let his head fall back against the seat behind him. "I hate you," He groaned.

Sam couldn't tell if his eyes were closed or not because of the dark sunglasses he was wearing. "Do you need medicine for your hangover?" He asked.

Dean groaned. "No. I just want sleep."

"Maybe you shouldn't have been out partying all night," Adriana stated, not feeling the least bit sympathetic for him.

"Maybe you should shut up," he snapped. Adriana smirked.

"A bit touchy this morning are we?" Dean glared at her before noticing the dark haired girl behind him.

"Athena. Nice of you to rejoin us," he said in a tone that suggested it was anything but. Athena didn't say anything. She didn't even smirk.

"Move over Dean. The amount you drank last night, if you were pulled up this morning you'd still be at least ten times over the limit," Sam told his brother smirking as he slid into the Impala.

'Why do we need to drive in any case?" Dean asked, whining.

"You honestly don't remember? Mr Shaw, survivor of one 'bear attack?'" Adriana asked, making air quotes on the appropriate words. Dean thought for a minute.

"To be honest, last night is kinda..." he trailed off, making gestures with his hands.

"Right. Thought that might be the case. Just get in the back."

Dean stumbled out of the car, and moved into the back seat of the Impala. He climbed in and stuck his head between his legs, groaning, before sitting up, looking grim. Adriana and Athena climbed in the car.

"Here's a little word of advice kids: don't mix drinks."

Adriana turned from the front seat as Sam pulled away. "One, none of us are kids, Dean. Two, none of us are stupid enough to mix drinks, which brings me to point three, none of us are stupid enough to get drunk." Dean winced as her voice climbed an octave while lecturing him and Athena looked out the window.

"What's the address, Drie?" S

he looked down at some papers on her lap, flipping through them. "67 Oak Road... just drive out on the highway and turn off and it's in a little cabin a way off."

Sam nodded and increased his speed. Dean glanced at the girl beside him. "When did you get back?"

Athena glanced at him, surprised he talked to her. "About three this morning," she said in a low quiet voice.

Dean nodded. "A decent time. Where'd you go?"

"I went to get a drink," She replied quietly, her gaze still locked onto the passing by trees outside the car window.

"Turn up here," Adriana told her Sam, cutting into Athena and Dean's very descriptive conversation. "So, here's the deal, if all four of us go up there and question him, he's gonna get suspicious," She said.

Dean leaned against the window, his eyes closed. "I'll stay out here then."

Adriana glanced at Sam. She sighed. That meant she had to stay out here with him because there was no way they were leaving Athena and Dean anywhere together. "Okay. I'll stay with Dean, Athena you can go with Sam."

Athena nodded, not really paying attention as Sam pulled up to a log cabin and killed the engine. He handed the keys to Adriana before climbing out of the car with Athena quickly following him. Dean groaned as the sound of the car doors closing reached his ears, louder than usual. He clenched his eyes shut tightly, leaning against the cold window more, trying to ignore the pain and pounding in his head.

"You don't have to stay with me, Drie." His voice was a lot quieter than usual because it hurt to hear anything.

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because you can function so well on your own," She said, shaking her head. "Dean, come on. We're on a case, you know better than to get drunk."

Dean held up his hand. "Don't lecture me, Princess."

"You need to get over that hangover," She stated, ignoring the nickname.

"Yeah? You got any suggestions? Because I'm all ears."

Adriana smiled. "Actually, I do."

_~Far Away~_

Sam and Athena walked away from the Impala up to the man's door. Sam raised his hand and knocked on the door while Athena stood there, glancing down. She hadn't said anything since they had seen her in the motel room. Sam waited a few moments before the door opened and an older man was standing there. He had gray hair, but was definitely balding in the middle of his head. He wore large, over sized clothes. He gave the two a curious look and Sam pulled out his fake ranger badge, flashing it to the man.

"We're here about some questions concerning a grizzly attack on you and your family a little while ago?" Sam said and the man sighed before walking further into his house, allowing the two to follow him.

"Look ranger, I don't know why you're askin me about this. It's public record; I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a-" Mr. Shaw began, but Sam cut him off.

"Grizzly? That's what attacked him?" Mr. Shaw paused then nodded his head to Sam who continued because Athena was standing off in the background, staring at the ground. "The other people that went missing that year... those bear attacks too? What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing? If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it," He told him. He wasn't trying to be mean, but he was trying to get Mr. Shaw to tell them the truth. They needed to know what was going on in order to help Hailey and her brother.  
Mr. Shaw glanced up at Sam. "I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don't see what difference it would make. You wouldn't believe me, nobody ever did."

Sam sat down across from the older man as Athena came to stand beside him, still staying very quiet. "Mr. Shaw, what did you see? " He asked gently prodding for an answer.

He sighed again. "Nothing. It moved too fast to see, it hid too well. I heard it though, a roar, like... no man or animal I ever heard." He was being honest.

"It came at night?" Sam asked and Mr. Shaw nodded. "Got inside your tent?"

At this, Mr. Shaw shook his head. "It got inside our cabin," He corrected Sam. "I was sleepin' in front of the fireplace when it came in." He paused, glancing down as if they memory was coming back to him. "It didn't smash a window or break the door, it unlocked it." He stopped in his story to glance up at Sam, eyes full of horror and terror. "Do you know of a bear that could do something like that?" He asked him. He sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screamin'."

"It killed them?" Sam asked.

Mr. Shaw nodded. "Dragged them off into the night." Why it left me alive-been askin' myself that ever since. Did leave me this though." He pulled the collar of shirt down to reveal his chest with three large scar marks that looked like they were made by a claw with three fingernails of some sort. He let his shirt go back to normal, covering up the scars once again. He glanced at Sam and Athena both. "There's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon," He said sure of himself.

Sam nodded his head and stood up. "Thank you for your time in answering the questions, Mr. Shaw," He said, offering the older man his hand.

He accepted and shook it. "You're quite welcome, Ranger. I hope this helps and you can find that monster."

Sam nodded as he led the way out of the man's house and headed back to the Impala. He glanced at Athena, a little worried. She hadn't said a single word since they got out of the car, and that was a little troubling. She usually liked to help on the cases, put in her two cents even if she didn't really know a lot. She liked to ask questions and try to help out. She hadn't done that today, and he was worried about her. Maybe what had happened with Adriana had really bothered her? Or maybe it was something deeper than that? He sighed when he reached the car. He would play the concerned friend later and figure out what was wrong at a different time that wasn't now.

He opened the door to the Impala to see Adriana and Dean laughing. Apparently whatever Adriana had done had helped him get over his hangover. "Feeling better, Dean?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yep. Drie's got the expert on hangovers."

Adriana laughed. "College party life can get pretty crazy. You gotta know a quick remedy for hangovers in order to get to classes and make it through the day."

Sam shook his head as he climbed into the back seat with Athena since Dean and Adriana were both in the front seats. "So, what'd you find out?" Dean asked, turning to face Sam.

"Well, Mr. Shaw was attacked by something that wasn't a grizzly. Something that moved too fast for the human eye to catch and something that could unlock his cabin door," Sam explained. "And, Mr. Shaw had three large claw marks on his chest-looked like nothing I had ever seen before."

"Spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. If they want inside they just go through the walls," Dean mused and Sam nodded his head.

"So it's probably something else, something corporeal," Sam told Dean who gave his little brother an amused smirk.

"Corporeal? Excuse me professor," Dean stated causing Adriana to giggle.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Shut up. So, whataya think?" He asked Dean.

"The claws, the speed that it moves, could be a skin walker? Maybe a black dog?" He suggested then shrugged as he started the ignition and pulled the car away from Mr. Shaw's house and on the road back to the motel. "Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature and it's corporeal." He gave Sam another amused smirk to which Sam rolled his eyes again at his brother in annoyance. "Which means we can kill it," Dean stated a smug look on his face as he turned down another road.

Their motel wasn't that far from Mr. Shaw's house and the arrived back within a few minutes. They all climbed out of the car and Dean walked around to the back, propping the trunk open with a shotgun and began to load a duffel bag with some pistols.

"We cannot let that Hailey girl go out there," Sam stated quickly walking around to confront his older brother.

"Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big scary monster?" Dean asked rolling his eyes at the thought, but Sam didn't seem to think it was all that crazy.

"Yeah," He stated as Athena leaned against the side of the car, watching the two boys while Adriana stood beside Dean, ready to intervene if the boys got into a yelling match.

"Her brother's missing Sam. She's not just gonna sit this out. Now, we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator-friend," Dean stated with a shrug as if it were the simplest and most obvious answer.

Sam's eyes blazed with annoyance and anger. "Finding dad's not enough?" He questioned as he removed the shotgun and slammed the trunk shut once Dean had pulled out his duffel bag. "Now we gotta babysit, too?" He asked, his tone full of frustration. Dean stared at Sam, and Sam rolled his eyes, his tone softening but was still just as annoyed. "What?"

Dean shrugged. "Nothing," He stated sarcastically as he shoved the duffel bag at Sam who caught it and rolled his eyes, pursing his lips together in anger. "We'll get some rest then head out there in the morning and go with them. There's nothing else to do at the moment," He said before pulling his key out of his jean pocket and headed into the motel room, Athena following silently behind him.

Adriana placed a hand on Sam's arm. "Dean's right, Sam. There's nothing else to do," She said softly, trying to diffuse his anger.

Sam sighed, slinging the duffel bag over his shoulder. "It's whatever."

Adriana glared at him. He was in a pissy mood. He didn't often get angry, but when he did, he tended to fume over it. Dean was more a flash of the moment guy. Adriana walked off and left him standing outside the car. She'd tried.

The mood in the motel room was weird. Sam was still angry and Athena still hadn't opened her mouth. Adriana sent Dean a look. Usually those two were the sensible ones. Or more sensible. She glanced over at the clock and sighed. Only eight o'clock. And seeing as they were all adjusted to getting very little sleep, everyone would either be out by nine o'clock or still awake at twelve o'clock. She walked over to the fridge and opened it. There was nothing to eat. At all.

Dean had pulled out his vast armory and was disassembling all the weapons, cleaning them and reassembling them. Sam was glaring at his laptop as if it had done something terribly, terribly wrong. And Athena was keeping her mouth shut. In all the time Adriana had known her, and it was a good few years, Athena had always had something to say, a witty or sarcastic remark. But now, nothing. Adriana wasn't overly bothered, it was good not to have the other girl constantly trying to get the better of her.

"Drie can you get me a glass of water?" Dean called from the other side of the room. Adriana looked over at him. His hands were covered in grease so she walked over to the tap and filled up a glass. "Thanks," he said distractedly as she set it down on the table beside him.

She picked up a knife and began flipping it around in her hand. She'd always been quite adept with knives, it'd just been a while since she'd picked one up. She dug the tip into the table and Dean smiled at her. The problem with Adriana was that she was a fun loving creature, full of energy. Boredom didn't suit her.

"Please tell me you've got something I can do," She said, almost begging.

Dean laughed to himself. She always had to be doing _something_. That was a good thing, but also a bad thing. Good meaning she was always active, never staying put. But, bad on cases because that's how people got themselves killed. In all honesty, Adriana was pretty good at controlling herself on hunts. There were the few times when she put herself in danger, but those time were few and far between, thankfully.

"If I told you that you could help me clean the guns, do you think it would stop the awkward silence in the room?" Dean asked her teasingly.

Adriana shrugged. "I don't know, but it wouldn't make things as awkward for us because we'd have something to do," She stated as she sat down on the bed beside him.

Dean grinned, nodding. "Do you remember how to clean them?"

Adriana shot him a glare. "Of course I do, Dean. I'm not stupid. It's like riding a bike, you never forget," She said and he smirked.

_Riding a bike. _That's what he had told Sammy when he picked him up from Stanford. Sam had claimed that hunting wasn't his thing and he was out of the lifestyle, but he had been the one to pick up on an EVP off of a recording. Sam might not like this life, but he was good at it. He might not like that either, but he saved people, and there wasn't much he could about it. He was stuck in the life at the moment.

Dean raised his hands in surrender. "I was just making sure. I don't want you ruining my guns now," He stated.

"It's not your guns I'm worried about ruining," Adriana said as she picked one up and began to make deft, expert movements. "It's my nails!" she said as one cracked. Dean raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"You've always been vain."

"Have not," she replied, poking her tongue out.

"Vain and immature."

"Oh, and I suppose you never do anything stupid."

"Of course I don't."

"Actually, I think the question should be when are you _not_doing something stupid." She placed the gun on the table and reached for a pipe. She cleaned the gun very quickly but efficiently, which prompted Dean to say:

"Wanna race?"

"I'm not sure because you know I'd win," Adriana told him seriously. Dean groaned.

"Just gimme a race, Drie. Pick your weapon, first to take it apart and put it back together wins."

"That's gonna take like, thirty seconds," she protested. Dean held a finger up.

"You never let me finish! You'll be blindfolded."

Adriana considered the challenge. "You're on."

Five minutes later Dean was sitting with his eyes covered, his colt on the table in front of him. Adriana was holding his phone, trying to locate the stopwatch application. When she'd found it, she cleared her throat.

"Take your marks. Get set. Go," she said, pressing the button.

Dean picked up the Colt and began taking it to pieces, laying out the gun in front of him. Athena sat up from the couch and watched with interest. After about thirty seconds, the gun was completely disassembled. Dean proceeded to run his fingers along the gun, until he found the base piece. He moved along to the next piece, biting his lip in concentration.

"You just passed a minute," Adriana commented. Dean nodded, knocking a piece off the table. The noise of metal hitting the tiles caused Sam to glance up. His interest was piqued. Dean swore and reached down to grab the piece, quickly finishing the gun.

"Done," he said, slamming it down on the table and pulling off his blindfold.

"So I read that at one minute, twenty-three seconds and seventeen milliseconds," Adriana said. Dean rolled his eyes, picking up the glass of water.

"Do the milliseconds really matter, Drie?" he asked. She grinned at him.

"Oh they definitely matter." Dean rolled his eyes, letting her have her way. She took his recently vacated seat and tied the blindfold around her head. Dean came up behind her and tightened it. "What was that for?" she asked, pouting.

"Adriana Brielle Tanner! You have been known to cheat on-"

"Hey! I don't cheat! I employ useful tactics," she protested, cutting across him. Dean shook his head and picked up his phone, sliding Adriana's pink gun across to her, wrinkling his nose.

"Ready. Set. Go," Dean said, then sat back as he watched Adriana's hands reach out for her gun.

Despite being blindfolded, she found it quickly and her fingers flew as she worked to take apart the firearm. It was as if she took apart guns blindfolded for a living. Before Dean knew it, Adriana had placed the gun down on the table, completely taken apart and rebuilt. She slipped the blindfold off, grinning as Dean hit 'stop'. He stared at her, his mouth hanging open as he glanced down at the time.

"Well?" She asked.

He shook his head. "You cheated. There's no way you beat me."

She continued to grin. "I beat you?" She asked. Her tone of voice held surprise but underneath it, Sam could detect a tone of cockiness, like she hadn't expected Dean to win. Dean nodded, his mouth still hanging open. Adriana grinned as she reached across and pushed his chin up, closing his mouth. "Close your mouth before you eat a fly," She stated. "Just out of curiosity," She began, "What _was_my time?"

Dean glanced down at the time on his phone, shaking his head. "Just under a minute," He stated, clearing not happy about losing to her.

"The _exact_time, please Dean," she asked, smirking, wanting to draw this out for as long as possible.

"Fifty-seven seconds and eighty six milliseconds," he muttered. Adriana danced around the motel grinning. Dean shook his head.

"I really wish I'd just stayed bored now," he muttered as he put all his weapons away.

Adriana sat on the bed and folded her legs. She didn't want to look at the clock. But now that she'd thought of it, she had to. 8:48 pm. She yawned, stretching. Sam was still sitting at his laptop, his eyes hollow from the artificial light cast off the computer. He hadn't said a word. She slid off the bed and walked over to the table, pulling out a chair.

"Hey," she said quietly, and he glanced over to her. Returning home to Kansas must have made him more driven to find his father. Normally he would be the one all for saving innocent citizens. It was who he was.

He glanced up. "What?" He asked softly, resting his chin in his palm.

"You sure you're okay?" She asked him, and he sighed.

"Drie, I'm fine."

"Really?" She questioned. "Because you don't act like it. You're not acting like yourself, Sam. You're acting like someone that I don't know," She told him.

Sam shook his head. "How? Because I wanna find my dad and get out of this life as quickly as I can?" He questioned.

She glanced down. "That's not what I mean, Sam."

"Then what?" He asked, trying not to sound snappy because he hated snapping at Adriana.

"Sam, I don't like this life either. But I'm here because you asked me to. And I'm trying to make the best of it," she said, touching his arm. Sam sighed. She was right.

"Sorry I snapped," he said. Adriana smiled at him.

"Oh I'm used to you moody people," she said, leaning back in her chair and waving a hand at Athena, who ignored her. Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, what's up with her?"

"I've no idea, nor do I want to put any effort in to think of an idea." She shrugged. "Could be a number of things, but I don't really wanna ask about it until after this case is over," She stated.

Sam nodded in agreement. That way when she blew up again and stormed off, it wasn't in a place that could get her killed or anyone else. "Yeah. Do you know what time we're getting up?" He asked.

Adriana shrugged again. "I don't know... I'd ask Dean but he's not too happy with me."

Sam smirked. "He clearly doesn't pay attention to you."

Adriana cocked her head. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Sam turned to give her his full attention. "Well, he could beat you in a target practice, right?" He asked, and she nodded. "Well, you're smaller and therefore quicker than him. You can take things apart easier. You always could." Adriana nodded.

"Nice observations, detective", she said, winking. Sam smiled. "What else have you noticed?"

"When we were training Thena up, she was usually the fastest," Sam said, using her nickname without realising. "But she didn't have the best stamina. Dean did, and I think I usually won the tactical battles," he said, winking back. Adriana nodded, following him.

"Interesting stuff. We're a competitive lot, aren't we?" she asked, nudging him playfully.

"Indeed we are," Sam replied. Adriana smiled. Sam wasn't in his mood anymore. Dean was still sulking on the bed from his loss.

She grinned at Sam before hopping up off of the chair and bouncing across the room to Dean. She plopped down beside him on the bed and smiled at him. "Come on, Dean. Smile!" She said and Dean simply gave her a blank look.

"No."

"Why not?" She pouted. "You're no fun," She added and Dean shook his head, smiling at her. He couldn't help it. He had tried his best not to smile, but it was hard not to smile when she was around. "A real smile! Praise the gods," she called as she leaned forward to give Dean a hug. He snorted with laughter and hugged her back. An evil glint appeared in her eyes and she sat on Dean's legs, pinning him.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked with trepidation. "I thought it was my brother you have the hots for? Can't imagine why though." Adriana smacked him across the chest, playfully. She then leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"Payback's a bitch, Dean," she said before tickling him in his sides. Dean kept his face straight but soon he began to twitch, as Adriana increased the intensity of the tickling. She reduced him to gaspy breaths.

"Drie... stop... please... Drie." All Adriana could catch were odd words in between his gasps.

"Sorry Dean, I can't hear you," she said evilly, continuing to tickle him. This went on for three more minutes.

"Enough," Dean said sitting up, and pushing her down to the bed, trying to breath. Adriana smirked and hopped off the bed, bouncing across the room again. He groaned as he held his sides which hurt from laughing. "Was that absolutely necessary?" He asked her and she nodded grinning at him.

"Yep!" She replied way too cheerfully for Athena's liking. The dark-haired girl simply rolled her eyes as Dean took a deep breath, trying to gain air back from laughing so much.

"I will get you back," Dean vowed.

Adriana winked. "I'd like to see you try," She stated, pursing her lips together and fixing him with a challenging stare.

Dean hopped up grinning up at her. "Do you really want to tempt me, Drie? Because I happen to know you don't react well to being tickled either," He stated, taking a step towards the blonde girl, and Athena drew her attention onto them, glancing between the two of them. The smaller girl didn't see that Athena's interest had been piqued. She walked backwards, crouched down in a fighting stance with her palms out.

"You know I'm faster than you Dean. Laws of physics and all. Mass times gravity equals acceleration or whatever. I have a lower mass, therefore I have a faster acceleration. My logic is flawless."

"Sorry then, college kid" Dean said, continuing to follow her.

Soon there was nowhere for her to go but the wall. Dean smirked as he moved, knowing there was no escape. Adriana glanced behind him, to see Athena watching them with cold, unblinking eyes. What she'd said to Adriana the night she'd left flared up feelings inside the blonde. She knew she liked Dean a lot more than she let on. When Dean made a grab for her she ducked, and pushed him against the wall, spinning him so he was facing her. To keep him still, she pressed her body against his. There was nothing sexual, it was a contest of strength.

"I will not hesitate to punch you if you attempt to tickle me," Adriana told him, deadly serious.

Dean could only smirk. "Is that a promise?" He questioned. Adriana hit his arm as hard as she could and Dean flinched. "Geez. Okay, you can hit and make it hurt. Got it."

Adriana glared. "Can I trust you not to tickle me?" She questioned and Dean nodded. Adriana took a step back, allowing Dean to move. She cautiously turned around, her back to Dean. Within a few seconds, he had wrapped his arms around her waist and tossed her on the bed. "Dean, don't!" She cried, trying to move backwards away from him. He grabbed her foot, pulling her back towards him before quickly placing his hands on her sides and tickling her mercilessly.

"It's payback for you tickling me," He replied as she giggled, trying to get away from him. "There's a sister saying to the one you mentioned earlier. It goes something along the lines of 'karma's a bitch.'''

"Yeah well both Karma and Payback can get fucked," Adriana swore through gritted teeth, trying not to smile or die from lack of oxygen.

"Leave her alone now, Dean."

Dean stopped tickling her and glanced over to his brother. Sam shut his laptop and stood up, yawning.

"Sorry, mom," he muttered as he stood away from Adriana, who gulped in air. She cast a surreptitious glance to Athena, who was still regarding them coldly. The way she never said anything... it almost gave her an unsettling feeling. At least before she'd been halfway to being human. "We need sleep," He added stretching. "Am I safe in assuming that Adriana and Sam are sharing a bed?" He asked, glancing at the two in question.

Adriana nodded. "I'm cool with it," She said glancing at Sam who also nodded.

Dean, feeling the need to be the gentleman for once in his life turned to Athena. "You can have the other bed. I'll sleep on the floor," He told her.

"Okay," she said. Dean tilted his head.

"Alright, Athena. Enough bullshit. What the hell is wrong with you?" Dean snapped. Sam raised his eyebrows. Everyone seemed to be on edge tonight.

"Nothing is wrong with me," she replied, staring him down.

"Yeah, whatever you say. Truth is, in the four months I've known you, nothing has ever been _more_wrong with you."

"Maybe it's not me who has the problem," she said in an icy cold voice. There was no sarcasm, no flashing suggestive eyes. Dean shook his head.

"When people change, we don't know what to think. How are we supposed to know we can still trust you," he said viciously, trying to evoke a reaction. He got one. Athena's jaw dropped.

"You don't think you can _trust me_?" she asked, her voice climbing several octaves in the last two words. Her icy demeanor looked shattered, and that was enough for Dean.

"I don't know, Thena. You should prove it to us," he said, walking over to the light and flicking it off before lying down on the ground. Sam and Adriana lay in their bed listening to the exchange, allowing Dean to handle it.

"This is gonna go on all night, isn't it?" Adriana asked Sam, turning her head to glance at him.

Sam nodded. "Yep. Probably."

"Awesome," Adriana groaned. "Which means no sleep for us," She said, but Athena proved her thoughts wrong.

"I don't have to prove anything to you," She told Dean, turning over onto her side. "Good night," She added, signalling the conversation was over. Dean, surprisingly, let it drop before they all drifted off to sleep.


	12. Shot in the Dark

"Rise and shine, Princess," Dean stated as he threw the comforter off of Sam and Adriana. Both shivered and opened their eyes. Dean grinned. Two birds with one stone. It was perfect. "You know, I like you two sharing a bed. I get to wake you both up with one motion," He said.

Adriana sat up, blue eyes glaring at him. "I hate you," She told him, and he grinned at her.

"You don't. In any case, we gotta hurry up and meet up at the park before Hailey takes off. No long showers, Drie," He told her, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. We're going into the woods, no need for you to get all prettied up."

Adriana glared at him again. "I will do whatever I choose to do."

"We're leaving in fifteen minutes, with or without you," Dean told her, and she knew he meant business so she sighed before hopping up and rushing into the bathroom.

"Why can't you be nice for ten seconds?" Sam asked Dean who shrugged.

"Not in my blood."

"Where's Thena?" Sam asked, glancing around.

"She was up super early and went to get coffee. Said she'd meet us at the car," Dean explained as he pulled on his biker boots. He grabbed his Colt, making sure that it was locked, loaded and ready to go. When he was positive it was all right for use, he stood up and slipped it behind it his back, the handle hooked against the waistband of his jeans. "Get ready to go, Sammy," He said and Sam nodded his head as he stood up and grabbed a fresh pair of jeans from his duffel bag. The only clean pair left.

"Dean, we're gonna have stop and do laundry in the next town," Sam said as he grabbed another shirt, the last clean one.

Dean nodded as he pulled a shirt out of his duffel bag and sniffed it. He immediately pulled it away, a grimace of disgust on his face. "Yeah. I'm with you. I wonder how Drie and Thena's clothes are doing."

And, as if in answer to his question, Adriana walked out of the bathroom, makeup done, and hair in a braid off to the side. She wore a slightly low cut dark blue-that brought out the blue in her eyes-shirt with a light brown jacket. The sleeves on the jacket stopped at her elbow and the material was the same that was worn on cargo pants. The jacket's length stopped just a little above her waist near her ribcage.

"See? I can get ready quickly," Adriana stated.

"Wanna put on some pants?" Dean questioned motioning to the girl who stood in her boycut underwear still.

"I had to find a pair to wear that was clean," Adriana said as she grabbed her duffel bag, shuffling through the contents and finally finding a pair of clean shorts. She pulled them out and slipped them on. The shorts were very short cargo shorts that were ripped in a few places over her thighs. The color matched the same as her jacket. "Speaking of which, we need to do laundry the next chance we get." She sat down on the edge of the bed, slipping on her own pair of dark brown biker boots.

Dean nodded as Sam slipped into the bathroom to get ready. "Yeah. Sam said he needed to wash his clothes as well." He smirked at the blonde girl just as she finished putting on her shoes. "So, you do have a wardrobe choice that isn't bright and girly," He teased her.

She rolled her eyes. "And yet I _still _look fashionable," She said teasingly.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Drie, seriously? We're going on a hunt? Why do you need to look fashionable to kill a creature."

"Girl's gotta look her best no matter what," She stated placing her hands on her hips. Dean smirked down at her as his gaze travelled past her onto the closed bathroom door where Sam was before looking back at her.

"You know he already likes you so you don't have to try hard," He told her.

Adriana cocked her head quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I know you're not that clueless, Drie." He rolled his eyes as she just blinked up at him, an innocent look in her eyes. "Never mind," He said before he stepped past her and banged on the bathroom door. "Sammy! Let's go!"

He stepped away just as Sam walked out, ready to go. "Chill out, Dean. I'm ready. All right?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." He grabbed his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulders. "You two got everything?"

Sam nodded as he also grabbed his duffel bag, and Adriana grabbed her own Glock 26. She slid the cartridge out, making sure it was loaded before pushing it back in with a _click_. "Yep," She said as she slipped her gun behind her back the same way the Winchesters did.

Athena was leaning against the car. She was wearing cargo pants like Adriana except hers were black and unripped. She had a navy scoop neck tank top on and an olive green military style jacket over one arm. On her feet, instead of biker boots, were calf high combat boots. She'd tied her black hair into a ponytail. Her gun was tucked into her waistband like the others. When they arrived in front of the car, she nodded.

"Right, let's go," Dean said before climbing into the car and gunning the engine, The rest of the group followed and Dean quickly drove to the national park. They pulled up to see Hailey and her brother talking to a man, their guide presumably. Dean grabbed the bag and climbed out of the car.

"I'll tell you again, I don't think Ben should come," the man was saying to Hailey. She looked frustrated but set her chin stubbornly.

"Roy," she said in a warning tone.

"Look, you're paying me good money to keep everybody safe. I think Ben would be safest at home," Roy protested. Hailey shook her head.

"You guys got room for four more?" Dean called as he sauntered over. Hailey glanced up in surprise, then her face morphed into suspicion.

"Wait, you want to come with us?" she asked. The guide glanced at the group.

"Who are these guys?" he asked. Hailey rolled her eyes and turned to the guide.

"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for search and rescue," she said sarcastically.

"You're _rangers?_" Roy queried in disbelief.

"That's righ,t" Sam said walking up behind Dean.

"And you're hiking out in jeans and biker boots?"

"Sweetheart, I don't do shorts," Dean said and Adriana snorted. Roy seemed agitated.

"What, you think this is funny? It's dangerous backcountry out there, her brother could be hurt," he snapped at the foursome. Dean cleared his throat.

"Believe me, we know how dangerous this could get. We just wanna help her brother, that's all." With that, Dean began to walk on. Hailey gave Roy a glance, then shrugged. It couldn't hurt to have more people on the search for Tommy. It could only help.

"I don't see why they can't come," Hailey told Roy who rolled his eyes.

"Great. Babysitting," Roy muttered and Adriana couldn't help but giggle. That's exactly what the four of them were thinking concerning Roy, Hailey and Ben.

Roy sighed, but nodded as he walked to the front of the group, leading the way into the woods. They hiked for about ten minutes in silence, occasionally exchanging glances with each other, but no words. Everyone was deep in their own thoughts. Dean, not being able to take much more of the quietness and nature sounds around them, spoke up.

"Roy, you said you did a little hunting?" He asked their "fearless leader".

Roy nodded, glancing at Dean. "Yeah. More than a little."

"Uhuh..." Dean glanced back at Sam, and his little brother shot him a warning look. They did not need to piss of the guide. "What kind of furry critters do you hunt?"

Roy shrugged, pushing some branches aside as he moved forward. "Mostly buck, sometimes bear."

Dean smirked. "Tell me, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" He asked as he moved past Roy who had stopped beside a tree. Roy grabbed Dean's shoulder, roughly pulling him backwards. Dean stumbled back surprised from the grab before catching his balance and fixing Roy with a challenging stare as everyone else stopped behind them, curious as to what was going on. "What cha doing, Roy?" Dean asked, a not-so-kind tone in his voice as Roy released his shoulder from grasp.

He leaned down and picked up a stick before shoving it into the ground directly where Dean was about to step. A big piece of metal shot up, chopping the stick in half. Roy looked at Dean and smirked. "You should watch where you're stepping... Ranger." With that, Roy tossed the stick off to the side and continued walking forward.

Dean pursed his lips together, not happy someone had got the better of him. He turned and glanced at everyone behind him, playing it off. "It's a bear trap," He stated before walking on after Roy.

Adriana glanced at Sam. This was going to be a long trip if Roy and Dean couldn't get along.

"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers so who the hell are you." Hailey had stopped in the middle of the track and placed her hands on her hips. It seemed to Sam that they were surrounded by stubborn females. Dean sighed.

"Sam and I are brothers and Drie and Thena are friends of the family and we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I figured that you and me, we're in the same boat." There was a pause, before Hailey accepted their story.

"Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?" she asked, her tone more curious than accusing.

"I'm telling you now. Besides it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman," he admitted. "Ever," he added as an afterthought.

"_Ever,_" Adriana said winking, to get the point across.

"Yeah. Okay," Hailey said.

"And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions," Dean said as he pulled out a bag of peanut M&Ms, winking as he tossed them into his mouth.

Hailey rolled his eyes and continued to tramp. Adriana swiped a few M&Ms from the bag, chucking the brown ones at the back of Sam's head. The group hiked for another hour or so before Roy stopped them.

"This is it... Blackwater Ridge."

"What co-ordinates do we have?" Sam asked. Roy pulled out a GPS and tapped a few buttons.

"Uh, 35, -111." The same coordinates in John Winchester's book. Athena cocked her head, edging closer to Sam.

"You hear that?"

Adriana glanced back, surprised that the other girl had spoken. Lately she'd been saying nothing about the case.

Sam looked down at her. "Yeah, not even crickets."

"I'm gonna take a look around," Roy announced, setting his pack down.

"You shouldn't go off by yourself," Adriana said, folding her arms across her chest. Roy certainly wasn't going to listen to anyone, least of all the tiny blonde.

"That's sweet," he said patronisingly. "Don't worry about me."

"Alright, everybody stays together," Dean said, knowing Adriana was right about not having him go off on his own. He didn't like the guy very much but that didn't mean he was going to let the guy die here. He sighed as he led the group in the direction Roy had gone.

"Hailey! Over here!" Roy called out, and the group glanced at each other before quickly rushing off in the direction of Roy's voice.

"Oh my god..." Hailey breathed as she glanced around the camp site they had walked into.

The campsite looked like a grizzly bear had just come through it. The tents were all torn up with claw marks in them. They weren't even standing up anymore. They were laying against the ground, the poles bent and broken. Every so often, a splatter of blood could be seen on the white canvas of the tent. Hailey gasped as she walked around the tents, seeing clothes and other items strewn about on the ground. Sleeping bags laid out around the place, blood on them as well with claw marks.

"What the hell?" Adriana asked quietly as she glanced around.

"Tommy!" Hailey called out as she unbuckled her backpack, letting it fall to the ground. "Tommy!" She called a little louder and Sam glanced at her before taking a couple of steps towards her. He grabbed her arm gently and shushed her. "Why?" Hailey asked, referring to why she was being asked to stay quiet in the search for her brother.

Sam glanced around at the trees surrounding them. "Something might still be out there," He explained to her.

"Sam!" Dean called out. Sam glanced at Adriana, and she nodded. Sam would go off to see whatever it was Dean needed to show him and she would stay behind and watch the group. He took off towards his brother. "Their bodies were dragged through the campsite." He pointed at some marks on the forest ground. "But here, the tracks just vanish." He stood up sighing. "It's werid. I'll tell ya what. It's no skinwalker or black dog," He added before walking back off towards the campsite where everyone was.

Adriana glanced over at Hailey who had picked up a phone that was smashed into the ground. The blonde assumed it had belonged to the girl's brother, Tommy. "Hey," She said softly as she walked over to her. "He could still be alive," She added reassuring with a smile as Hailey wiped away a fallen tear just as Sam and Dean walked back up to the group.

_"HELP!" _Something called out throughout the forest. _"HELP!"_

Adriana and Hailey both jumped a little at the unexpected screams coming from within the forests. The group and ran through the forest, circling on the spot, looking for the source of the noise.

"It seemed like it was coming from around here didn't it?" Hailey asked, her voice shaking slightly. Realisation dawned on Sam.

"Shit," he muttered before yelling "Everybody back to camp!" They all ran back through the trees until they reached the camp site. The camp was destroyed and their packs were gone.

"Our packs," Hailey said. Roy crouched down, picking up some snapped branches.

"So much for my GPS and satellite phone," he said bitterly.

'What the hell is going on?" Hailey demanded.

"It's smart. It wanted to cut us off so we can't call for help," Sam said grimly.

Roy turned to face him. "You mean someone, some _nut job_out there just stole all our gear?"

Sam ignored him and turned to the others. "I need to speak to you... in private," he muttered as they walked a little way off. Adriana, Dean and Athena followed, Adriana glancing back at the group. Sam held out his hand. "Let me see dad's journal," he said and Dean rummaged in his bag, pulling out a large leather bound book.

Sam opened it and flicked through the pages quickly until he found the one he was looking for. "Alright check that out," he said, pointing to a diagram of a creature.

Dean snorted in disbelief and even Adriana raised her eyebrows. "Oh come on, Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or Northern Michigan. I've never heard of one being this far west."

"Think about it Dean! The claws, the way it can mimic a human voice."

Dean sighed, realising he was probably right. "Great. Well then this is useless," he said, pulling his pistol out. Sam folded the book closed.

"Wendigo... that's that cannibal creature aye?" Athena asked, glancing around. Dean nodded. They tended to explain creatures to her as they crossed them but they'd been through their father's diary one day and explained most of the creatures in it.

"Cannibal creature... that'll do for now."

"We gotta get these people back to safety," Sam said as they walked back over to Roy, Ben and Hailey. "All right, listen up, time to go. Things have gotten more... complicated," Sam said.

Hailey stood up. "What?" She asked, confused.

Roy shook his head. "Kid, don't worry. Whatever's out there, I think I can handle it," He told Sam who shook his head.

"It's not me I'm worried about," He told Roy. "If you shoot this thing, you're just gonna make it mad," He added.

Roy narrowed his eyes at Sam. "One, you're talking nonsense. Two, you're in no position to be giving anybody orders."

Sam's eyes narrowed as well. "We never should've let you come out here in the first place, all right?" He said. "I'm trying to protect you."

At that Roy laughed. "You protect me?" He stated, like it was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard in his life. "I was hunting in these woods while your mommy was still kissing you goodnight," He told Sam darkly, almost as if challenging him.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" He challenged right back. "It's a damn near _perfect_hunter," He said lowly, trying to get how serious the situation was. "It's smarter than you, and it's going to hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid, sorry ass out of here."

Roy laughed condescendingly. "You're crazy, you know that, right?" He asked as he took a step towards Sam.

Sam had had enough of him. "Yeah? You ever hunt a wen-" Before he could finish the word 'wendigo', Roy had shoved Sam back. Sam went to retaliate, but Dean intervened.

"Roy!" Hailey exclaimed as Dean held Sam's shoulder, holding him back.

"Chill out," Dean told Roy then glanced at Sam as Adriana stepped closer to the youngest Winchester to try to calm him down. "Drie, you got him?" He asked her motioning to Sam and she nodded her head.

"Stop it, everybody just stop it! Tommy might still be alive and I'm not leaving here without him!" Hailey yelled, stamping her foot.

Dean raised his eyebrows. She was the only other girl he'd seen do that except for Adriana. He sighed. He and Sam knew the feeling. Dean wasn't ready to give up on his father. He knew he was alive and he knew they were going to find him. He couldn't make this girl leave without her brother. It wasn't fair. He nodded his head before turning to Sam who gave him a curt nod, understanding.

Dean turned to Hailey. "It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter during the day but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves," He said.

Hailey caught his gaze. "How?"

He pulled out his father's journal and flipped to a page. "We know some symbols we can draw that'll protect us." He turned to Roy. "Can you build a campfire? It's gonna get a little chilly out here at night," He said. Roy nodded. He wasn't too happy about the current circumstances they were in, but at least building a campfire would help him out. "We need to collect firewood. Drie, stay here with Sam and calm him down. I'll go with the others and get the wood." He turned to the blonde and she nodded her head before he walked away with the rest of the group.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" She asked, sitting down next to Sam who was leaning against the stump of a tree.

"Nothing's wrong. I just don't wanna still be here," He said turning to her. He took one look into her baby blue eyes as he felt his anger disappear a bit. He was a lot calmer than he had been because of the argument with Roy.

She rested her head on his shoulder as Dean came back with the group, each carrying an arm full of sticks and twigs. They set them down in a pile and Roy began to build the fire. As soon as the fire had been finished, night began to fall upon the group rather quickly and Dean began to draw the symbols in the dirt. Roy smirked at the emerald-eyed hunter, shaking his head. He didn't understand how a bunch of kids could know more than him on hunting, something he had done his whole life.

"So, by playing in the dirt, you're going to protect us?" Roy questioned Dean who straightened up, stopping mid-draw of the symbol, but it was Adriana who snapped first.

"I'm so sick of your crap! Just sit down and shut up!"

Roy smirked at her. "Right. Because I'm going to listen to the baby."

Adriana's eyes narrowed and she stepped towards Roy, standing right in front of him. "I'm sick of your crap. We never should have let any of you come along, but you're here with us and now we're stuck babysitting you."

Roy continued to smirk. "That's funny coming from the smallest. I really doubt you could do any damage."

Adriana had to resist every urge within her to punch him right there and prove him wrong. She bit her lip and Dean took a step forward, ready to intervene if Roy tried to hurt Adriana. _Although, knowing Adriana, it might be the other way around_, He thought, shaking his head.

"I know more about hunting than you will _ever_know," She told him eyes narrowed as she drew herself up to her full height of five foot, three inches. For being so small and short, Dean had to admit, her icy glare made her look a bit intimidating. "I know more about these woods and what's out there than you could ever imagine. You're just slowing us down in finding her brother," She said waving a hand at Hailey. "We're here to help and save him, and you're here being an asshole and stopping us from doing that. So, do us all a favor and sit down, shut up and let us do our job unless you want to get yourself killed!" She exclaimed in a hushed, deadly voice to him. It was quiet, but everyone had heard it. Roy almost looked abashed, but not quite. Athena smiled in the darkness at the smaller girl, knowing she couldn't see.

Roy turned away from the group and faced outwards of the circle, despite what Dean had said. Stupid teenage hooligans. They had no idea how dangerous grizzlies could be, yet they expected to be protected by weird voodoo magic. Dean glared at the back of the older man before walking over to Sam and leading him away from the group.

"You wanna tell me what's going on in that freaky head of yours?" Dean asked his brother. Athena and Adriana heard his lowered tones, but ignored them. They shared a look; for all their differences, they both cared about the brothers.

"Dean-" Sam said warily.

"No you're not fine," Dean cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "You're like a powder keg man, it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?" Sam sighed.

"Dad's not here." When he said it out loud, it made it real. They'd come here for nothing. "I mean we know that much for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?" he continued, almost wanting Dean to disagree with him.

"Yeah you're probably right. To tell you the truth, I don't think Dad's ever been to Lost Creek," Dean told him.

"Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road, go find dad. I mean, why are we still here," Sam said. He seemed agitated, wound up about something.

"This is why," Dean said, holding up their dad's journal. Adriana and Athena were now both listening while paying attention to the three civilians. "This book... this is dad's single most valuable possession, everything he knows about every evil creature is in here. And he's passed it on to us." Dean paused, trying to convey his meaning. "I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things, the family business."

"That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just call us? Why doesn't he tell us what he wants? Where he is?" Sam pressed.

Dean shrugged. "I dunno. But, the way I see it? Dad's given us a job to do and I intend to do it."

Sam shook his head. "Dean, no. I gotta find dad." He paused. "I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's all I can think about," He said, and Athena watched as Adriana bit her lip. He was still focused on Jessica.

Dean nodded. "Okay, all right, Sam. We'll find them, I promise. Listen to me. You've gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while, and all that anger? You can't keep it burning over the long haul. You gotta have patience, man."

Sam shook his head, sighing. "How do you do it? How does dad do it?"

Dean shrugged. "Well for one? Them." He glanced over at Hailey and Ben before turning back to Sam. "I mean, I figure our family's so screwed to hell maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable," He told Sam them smiled. "And I'll tell you what else helps," He said and Sam paused, waiting for Dean to explain. "Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possible can," He explained and Sam gave a half smile as he stood up. "Now. I'm gonna go finish these symbols, all right?" He grabbed their father's journal and headed back over to where he had stopped and began drawing in the dirt again.

"One more time, that's...?" Hailey asked.

"Anasazi symbols," Dean explained to her again. "It's for protection. The wendigo can't cross over them," He added and Roy scoffed. Dean rolled his eyes as he finished up the last symbol. "Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy," He called over his shoulder to the older hunter before he tossed the stick a little ways away as Adriana walked over to Sam and sat beside him.

"You okay now?" She asked and Sam nodded.

"Yeah." He smiled at her. "I'm good." He glanced over at her and saw something different in her eyes than he normally saw on hunts. She was actually afraid of this one. "You okay?" He asked and she turned her gaze onto his and he nodded his head to himself in confirmation. She had fear in her eyes.

"It's just... it's a wendigo..." She said quietly and that's when it clicked. A wendigo was what had killed her father. That's why she was more afraid now than she normally ever was.

"That's what killed your dad?" Athena questioned. Sam winced. Usually he moved around this subject a little more delicately.

"Yes it is..." Adriana said quietly, looking at the ground. Sam caught her chin in his hands and lifted her gaze to his.

"It'll be okay. I promise." Adriana smiled.

_"Help me! Please! Help!" _A cry came from the woods and the entire party jumped to attention. Adriana flinched but stood up, standing close to Sam.

"Okay, that's no grizzly," Roy said. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Now he believes us," he muttered to Sam. He moved to stand in front of Hailey and her brother. "It's okay, you'll be all right, I promise" Hailey said, trying to keep Ben calm. There was a scream.

"It's here," Sam said grimly. Roy aimed his shotgun at a shadow that darted rapidly around their group.

"I hit it!" he called excitedly, and chased into the forest.

"Shit," Dean muttered. "No, Roy, no!" he called, sprinting after him. Sam followed and so did Athena, but she paused and turned back to the blonde girl. She was standing just inside the edge of the clearing. Her face looked torn and suddenly Athena understood. She had an obligation to finish the case and kill the creature, to keep her personal issues out. But the fear showing on her face said it all. She would be too petrified to be any help.

"Adriana. Drie. Stay here," Athena said calmly. Adriana began to protest, but Athena cut her off. "Just stay here. Keep Ben and Hailey safe. Please."

The older girl's eyes pleaded with her to understand that as much hostility as she had shown her in the past, she didn't want her getting hurt. Adriana nodded and moved back into the clearing. Athena took off into the woods, following the boys. She caught up fast. Dean had his gun out and was turning, rapidly, at every movement.

"It's over here! It's in the tree!" someone called from about a hundred metres away.

Dean couldn't tell if it was the Wendigo or Roy but he moved through the trees. "Roy!" Dean called but there was nothing but silence. "Shit, shit shit," he muttered, keeping his weapon out but rejoining Sam and Athena.

"Where's Drie?" he asked.

"She stayed at camp to keep Hailey and Ben together. It was my idea," Athena said boldly. Dean looked at her for a minute before smirking at his brother. It looked as though Athena was back.

"Good idea, she hates Wendigos."

"'Hate' is a bit of an understatement, Dean," Sam muttered as they quickly walked back to the clearing.

When they appeared, Adriana breathed a sigh of relief. Hailey stepped forward but stayed within the boundaries of the protection as they stepped over the lines. She glanced around behind them trying to find Roy, but he wasn't appearing.

"Where's Roy?" She asked.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. We couldn't find him," He said. "Look, why don't we all try to get some sleep and we'll continue looking for Tommy in the morning."

Sam nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. We're safe within the circle," He said as he sat back down against the tree stump while Dean poked the fire, starting it back up again. Hailey sat back down beside Ben sighing.

"What's out there?" She asked.

Dean sighed. "We'll explain more in the morning when we're a hundred percent sure what it is," He told her and she nodded. He walked over to Sam, Adriana and Athena who were all seated near the tree stump. He glanced at the blonde. "Are you sure you're gonna be all right?" He asked her, his voice softer than it usually ever was.

She nodded. "I know how to do the job, Dean," Adriana replied a bit harshly.

"Chill for five, Drie" he told her, grinning.

"Don't tell me to chill, Dean Winchester," she said, pouting.

"Sorry I asked," he said, leaning against the tree stump and nudging Adriana.

"Hey!" she yelled and pushed him back. Dean immediately put a finger over her lips and her eyes went wide in fright.

"Like I said. Chill for five."

"Five what, hours?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Dean looked at his watch.

"Yeah five hours should be long enough until it's light enough to hunt this son of a bitch down," he said, closing his eyes.

"Who's on first watch?" Adriana questioned. Dean kept his eyes closed and ignored her.

"I'll go. I'm not tired," Athena said. Sam smiled at her and Adriana curled up in a ball beside Sam. She knew she should try to sleep but she was never going to with a creature that killed her father out there.

The rest of the night passed without incident. Dawn broke and Athena glanced over to see Sam playing with a bracelet.

"Hey," she said quietly to let him know she knew he was awake. He nodded in acknowledgement. "Maybe Dean's onto something with the gay angle if you're carrying around a girls bracelet," she joked. Sam didn't reply, he just kept turning the bracelet in his fingers.

"It was Jessica's," he said.

"Oh." Once again, Athena felt out of her depth. There was so much history she didn't know, and probably wouldn't ever.

"Sorry," she said after a few minutes.

"It's okay. She's gone." There was some noise and Hailey sat up, blinking. She looked shattered. Adriana, curled up in the dirt, had finally succumbed to exhaustion, and Dean had the catlike ability to sleep anywhere so Sam never worried about him.

"I never thought these types of things were real," Hailey said and Sam sighed.

"Yeah. A lot of people don't," He said as he shook Adriana awake.

She sat up, stretching then smoothed her blonde hair before shaking her head and pulling it out of the braid, her hair falling around her shoulders in messy curls. She stood up, stretching some more before glancing over and seeing Ben sitting off by myself, quiet. While Sam started to shake Dean awake, she walked over to him and sat down.

"Hey, how you holding up?" She asked him. He glanced at her and shrugged.

"About as much as people can when they find out these types of things..." He said quietly and she nodded, laughing softly.

"Yeah... I know the feeling. Sorta..." She smiled reassuringly at him. "I promise, we're gonna find your brother. Sam and Dean are the best out there. They know what they're doing. I promise, you're brother's gonna be all right."

"But after that thing last night... how do you know it's not out there watching us?" Ben asked fearfully.

"We don't," Adriana said quietly, keeping her eyes lowered. "But we're safe for now." Ben looked at her, admiringly. He, like most other men they encountered on hunts, had noticed how pretty she was.

"How do you know this stuff?"

"It kind of runs in the family," she said, a slight smile crossing her face.

"I thought only you two brothers were actually related?" Hailey asked from where she was sitting. Dean shrugged.

"If we're only counting blood relations as family, then sure, I've got Sam and my dad. If not..." He trailed off, leaving it unspoken.

Sam walked over from the tree stump.

"Hey," he said softly. Hailey stood up, wrapping her arms around herself.

"So we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch," he said with malice in his voice.

"Well, hell, you know I'm in," Dean said almost instantly. Athena smirked.

"Am I never _not_in?" Athena questioned. Sam almost opened his mouth to make a remark. Adriana lifted a hand to acknowledge they'd spoken but said nothing more. Sam flipped through their dad's journal until he found the page. He carried it over to Hailey and Ben and Athena followed.

"'Wendigo' is a Cree Indian word. it means 'evil that devours'," Sam began, showing them the diagram of it. "They're hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man. Sometimes Indian or other times a frontier man or a miner or hunter."

"How's a man turn into one of these things?" Hailey asked.

"Well it's always the same. During some harsh winter, a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his camp or tribe."

There was a grim silence after this. "Like the Donner party?" Ben asked, and Sam nodded before continuing.

"Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities," Sam said, entering college student mode. "Speed, strength, immortality."

"If you eat enough of it over the years you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry." Hailey looked worried.

"So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?" she asked frantically. Dean and Sam shared a look before glancing at Adriana. She hadn't contributed anything to this conversation.

"You're not gonna like it," Dean said.

"Tell me."

"More than anything, a wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It, uh, it stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe. We gotta track it back there." When he finished he looked at Adriana again. Her dad didn't have the luxury of being kept for years and with that, a chance to be saved. He'd been killed on the spot.

"How do we stop it?" Athena asked, and Dean remembered that she hadn't known all that much about these things. Trust her to want to know about the weapons needed.

"Well, guns are useless, so are knives. Basically..." He paused, holding up a can of lighter fluid and a white cloth. In his other hand was a beer bottle. "We gotta torch the sucker. Now, come on." Dean turned and led the way into the forest while Sam grabbed the duffel bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"So, you all hunt these creatures?" Hailey asked.

Dean nodded. "Yep. These two kinda just tag along," He said with a motion to Adriana and Athena who both rolled their eyes.

"Hey, I've been hunting longer than you," Adriana told him.

"I'm older than you," Dean stated and Adriana shrugged.

"I was in this since I was one, you were in it since you were four," She told him and Dean pressed his lips together and nodded his head.

"Touche'," He stated.

"So, you've been doing this your whole life?" Ben asked Adriana and she nodded.

"Mostly. I went to college for a few year like Sam," She explained to him. "But I have such a kind soul, I'm here helping them," She said and Dean scoffed.

"You have a kind soul?" He asked, leading the way further into the forest. "That's hilarious," He added, following the claw and blood marks on the trees.

"I joined last winter," Athena offered.

"And it shows in her skills," Dean muttered. Athena launched a fairly gentle kick into his back and he stumbled.

"The skills that one me the race to drive your car, hmm?" she said swanning past him. He glared at her. She's been quiet lately which was weird but she seemed to be back to her normal sarcastic self.

"That was _one_race, Thena, it does not reflect on future races. And if I may, I beat you in our fight," he said smirking.

She stopped and turned, her hands on her hips. Dean thought it was funny how her and Athena could do the same gesture and look so terribly different. Adriana usually did it when she was annoyed, and it gave the impression that she was more intimidating than she actually was. Athena, however, looked like she was about to challenge you, and you should decline as she would win.

"At least I can hold my liquor," she said, in reference to Dean's hangover.

"I can hold my liquor. I just didn't want to," he protested.

"Whatever you say Dean."

"I'd like to see you deal with four shots of vodka, a dry whiskey and two glasses of rum any better than I did."

Athena laughed. "That's child's play!" she told him, laughing.

"I don't know if you two are aware but we are hunting a creature that could kill you. So shut up" Sam snapped.

"Touchy," Athena muttered.

Adriana rolled her eyes before she grabbed a twig off of the ground and flicked Sam in the back of the head with it. He turned around and gave her a blank stare. "Seriously?"

She shrugged. "I'm bored."

"I expect that from Dean, not from you," He said. Dean grabbed a twig as well and flicked him with it. Sam turned and glared. "Really?"

"You said you expected it from me. I wouldn't wanna disappoint you now," He said causing everyone to laugh.

Sam shook his head and took Dean's spot in leading since his older brother was more interested in joking around at the moment. As they walked, Dean glanced over his shoulder at everyone making sure they were all right. He noticed Ben's gaze seemed to flicker onto Adriana every now and again. He smirked as he nudged the blonde. She stumbled sideways from his shove, tripping over a log. She fell on her butt and glared up at him. Dean burst out laughing. He took a deep breath, trying to control himself.

"Was that really necessary?" She asked Dean darkly.

He started laughing again. "Sorry. Didn't mean to push you that hard."

"I hate you," She told him as Athena turned around and also started laughing.

Hailey giggled a bit, but kept herself under control, figuring it wasn't nice to laugh at someone who had fallen. Sam rolled his eyes at his big brother and Ben stood there, a small smile on his face. Ben walked over to Adriana and held out a hand to help her up. She accepted it and stood up, trying to brush herself down.

"Thank you Ben. I can see _you're_a real gentleman," she said to him while shooting a deadly glare at Dean, who was still chuckling to himself. If looks could kill, Dean would be dead several times over. Dean caught Sam's eye and directed it to Ben.

"Looks like you got some competition there little brother," he said. Sam made a disgusted noise.

"Shut up Dean," Sam said. Dean grinned, pleased he'd elicited a reaction out of his younger brother.

"You feeling a little defensive today?" he asked.

"No, Dean, I'm feeling a little _tired _today due to the fact I got _no_ sleep last night because there is an evil creature out there wanting to _kill_me," he snapped.

"Well, technically, it doesn't want to kill you specifically, it would settle for anyone of us."

"Dean, I swear if you don't shut up, I'm going to do something to you." Dean, being Dean, kept going.

"Something? Is this a similar sort of something you'd like to do to Drie?" he asked.

Sam shot him a death glare. "Dean, shut up."

Dean smirked. "Oh, come on, Sammy. Lighten up a bit," He said but Sam ignored him and continued walking. Dean rolled his eyes as he turned to Adriana who was still glaring at him from being shoved. "What?"

"Why'd you shove me?"

"Well, technically, I just meant to nudge you. I can't help that you weigh like half a pound so you fall over with the slightest touch," Dean stated.

Adriana crossed her arms over her chest. "Was there a reason for the nudge?"

Dean smirked. "I was simply going to point out that it seems you've got yourself a little fan club going on."

"And that means?"

"I think Ben's got a little crush on you," He said with a wink and Adriana rolled her eyes at him.

"And I think you're full of shit."

"C'mon Drie. You're always trying to deny that you're blonde but if you keep playing this dumb, we're gonna have to face the facts."

"I hate you."

Dean placed a hand across his chest as though he'd been shot. "I'm wounded, Drie," he said, walking backwards so he could still talk to him.

"The name's Adriana to you," she said icily. Dean took another step backwards and tripped on a log, falling onto his back. Adriana threw her head back and chuckled. "Karma's a bitch, Dean," she said, ignoring him and skipping off. Athena smirked as she held out her hand as she walked, and pulled Dean up. He had cut his arm on a branch and blood was trickling out of it.

"These wendigos aren't like sharks are they? Smell a tiny amount of blood in a large area?" Athena asked jokingly.

"Well, the blood will probably just alert the wendigo even more that the equivalent of a big mac combo is walking through its woods."

"That's a cheery thought. You know, I could do with a big mac combo right now. Large," Athena said, sighing.

"M&Ms?" Dean offered, looking around in his bag. Athena wrinkled her nose.

"No thanks. I don't like chocolate."

"You _what_?" Dean asked, horrified.

"I don't like chocolate," She told him with a shrug.

"You have got to be kidding me," Dean said shaking his head. "That's so... unhuman!"

"Relax, Dean. Not everybody has to like the same things as you," Adriana told him as she glanced back at him over her shoulder. "You're not a god that everyone has to follow."

Dean looked surprised at that statement. "Really? I thought I was."

"You're impossible," Adriana stated. Dean went to retort, but Sam called out for him. Dean gave Adriana a look before hopping up to the front of the line by Sam.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You know, I was thinking," Sam began as he looked around at all the claw marks, blood and broken branches on the trees. "those claw prints, so clearly distinct... They were too easy to follow," He said and Dean shot him a look.

"You couldn't point that out before we started following the marks?" He asked. Sam started to reply, but the sound of growling reached their ears.

They both turned in opposite directions, scanning the surrounding trees. Adriana moved closer to Sam and Dean while Athena stood her ground. Ben moved closer to Hailey and Hailey took a step closer to a tree behind her. She heard a dripping sound on her jacket. She glanced at her shoulder and saw a red liquid. She turned her gaze upwards before leaping out of the way with a scream. Roy's body fell right where she had been standing. Sam leaned over Hailey to make sure she was all right as Dean examined Roy. He felt the guy's neck and sighed as he straightened up.

"You okay? You got it?" Sam asked Hailey as he helped her up and she nodded.

"His neck's broken," He announced to the group.

Suddenly, there was more growling and the trees rustled as the wendigo circled around the group. Dean turned in every direction, trying to find the creature, but it moved too fast. They had no way to see what they were up against. Adriana screamed, but when the group turned in the direction of where she had been standing, she wasn't there anymore. She was gone. The wendigo had taken her. Dean turned forward as they were more rustles from the trees.

"Drie!" Sam shouted as he turned frantically in his spot, trying to find the blonde girl. "ADRIANA!" There was only silence in reply. Dean spread out into the bush. He heard another girl's scream. Hailey.

"Hailey?" Ben called tentatively. Once again, there was nothing. Sam, Athena and Ben all moved into a group. Dean and Hailey sprinted out through the forest.

"Go, go go" he yelled and the group sprinted off. Ben stumbled over a log and tripped to the ground. Athena circled them as Sam picked Ben up but Dean and Hailey were out of caught a glimpse of something and moved forward to pick up Dean's Molotov cocktail. The bottle was broken.

"Oh shit..." he said.

"Where's my sister, where's my sister gone?" Ben asked frantically. Sam felt sorry for the poor kid. He was now missing his brother and sister.

"I've no idea Ben, but we're going to find them. They're going to be okay" Sam said calmly. Athena had one hand on her gun, despite being told it would do nothing. Ben took a deep breath.

"If it keeps its victims alive, why would it kill Roy?" he asked.

"Honestly?" Sam began. "I think because Roy shot at it, it pissed it off." At his words, Athena took her hand off her gun. They kept walking.

"Yeah cause shooting things usually pisses the victims off," Athena added helpfully.

"Thanks for that, Thena," Sam muttered.

"Are there more of these things?" Ben asked.

"These things being wendigos, or supernatural creatures in general?" Sam queried.

"I'll start with wendigos," Ben said.

"Yes, there are more wendigos out there. Not in this forest exactly, but there are more out there. Supernatural creatures? They are more of them all over the place. And it's our job to protect people from them," Sam told him as they walked forward trying to find the missing people in their group. Ben walked forward a bit and bent down, picking up something up off of the ground.

"What is it?" Athena asked as she stepped forward towards him.

"They went this way," Ben told her and Sam. He stood up and handed Sam a peanut M&M. Sam shook his head, chucking it behind him as he glanced down at the floor. There was a trail of colored M&M's leading a path.

"It's better than breadcrumbs," Sam said. "Come on," He told the three. He glanced at Athena as they walked. "I'm glad to see you're back to being yourself."

Athena shrugged. "I just needed a 'wake me up'." She noticed Sam seemed a little on edge, probably because he had just lost his brother and his best friend.

"Sometimes these 'wake me up's come in different forms" Sam said distractedly. They rounded a corner to see a mine entrance. It was marked by a ruined old sign reading WARNING! DANGER! DO NOT ENTER EXTREMELY TOXIC MATERIAL.

"If they're in there, that sign's true. Drie and Dean together classify as 'extremely toxic material'" Athena commented. Sam ignored her and pushed open the door, shining his torch into the mine. He moved into it. Athena followed him, and Ben did as well, after glancing at another sign above the large one. This one read KEEP OUT NO ADMITTANCE.

"Good thing I'm not afraid of the dark," Athena said humorlessly as they stepped into the mine. The ceiling had two or three inches between in and Sam's head. Sam flicked on a torch.

"It's not the dark you should be afraid of, Thena," Sam said as he shone the flashlight down another tunnel.

There was a faint noise; it could've been growling; it could've been wind blowing down the old mine. The noise grew louder, and Sam recognized it. It was the Wendigo growling. He pushed Ben against the wall, turned off the torch as Athena moved into the shadows. The wendigo came closer. Ben opened his mouth to scream but Sam slid his hand over it before he could. The wendigo turned down another tunnel. Athena peered around a corner to see it move around another bend in the opposite direction. Sam flicked the light back on and they kept moving through the tunnel.

"This way," Athena hissed and she moved over to an area that was boarded. She stepped onto the floorboards and they creaked. Sam and Ben followed her, and the creaking increased. "Shit," Athena managed to say before they splintered and collapsed. They fell about three metres before landing in a pile of bones. Ben scrambled out of them, looking scared for his life.

"No bones broken? At least, not the ones on your body?" Athena asked. Sam shook his head and stood up.

"That's some sick joke Dean would make," He commented, brushing the dirt off of himself.

He glanced around, scanning the cave. His gaze stopped on Dean, Adriana and Hailey who were hanging from the ceiling by their wrists. Dean's feet touched the floor, Hailey's just grazed the ground and Adriana was left on her own. They had found who they were looking for. They had found them and they were alive. That was a good thing.


	13. Going Our Own Way

"Dean! Drie!" Sam rushed forward as Ben and Athena glanced up to where he was going.

"Hailey, wake up," Ben pleaded as he lifted her chin up. She groaned before picking her head up and glancing out. All three of them were covered in dirt and mud, their clothes ripped in places.

"Athena, get Dean to wake up," Sam said as he moved over to Adriana. He shook the blonde gently as Athena shook Dean. "Drie? Wake up, hon."

Adriana clenched her eyes shut before opening them and looking around. "Sam?"

"Hey, you okay?" He asked her softly.

Adriana winced as she drew in a breath but nodded. "Yeah."

"What happened?" He asked quietly but urgently. She took in another shaky breath.

"It... it grabbed me. In the forest. Brought me here... and then about ten minutes later, Dean and Hailey were strung up. But in those ten minutes..." she broke off, lowering her head. Sam reached behind her and cut her rope, lowering her gently. She pressed her face into his chest. Sam ran his hands across her hair.

"Shh, Drie. It'll be okay." He glanced behind him. Ben had cut Hailey down and she was looking around the cave, shaking. Athena was conversing with Dean and she looked serious for once. "You all right, Dean?" he called across the cave. Dean nodded.

"Yeah," he said, rolling his shoulder and wincing. "Where is he?"

"He's gone for now," Sam said, still holding Adriana.

"Oh my God, Tommy!" Hailey's cry echoed in the room. She ran across to where her older brother was hanging from the cavern roof, crying. "Tommy," she said quietly, and reached up to touch his cheek. She couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. His head jerked up at her touch, causing Hailey to jump backwards in fright. "Cut him, down, please?" she asked Sam, her voice desperate. Sam released Adriana and quickly crossed the cavern, cutting down the injured man. "We're gonna get you home, okay?" Hailey said to Tom. He groaned in reply, struggling to stay upright.

Dean scanned the cabin. His eyes caught a pile in the corner. He walked over to it, Athena following him. It was their stolen supplies. He leaned down, wincing again and picked up a gun shaped object.

"Check it out," he called over to Sam, who had returned to Adriana. A grin lit up his younger brothers face as he saw a way they might be able to get out alive.

"Flare guns... that'll work."

Dean twirled the gun around his finger as Athena packed all the supplies into one bag and grabbed another gun for herself. She slid the bags onto her shoulder, and handed the last gun to Sam. The group moved out of the cabin, Dean and Athena in the front with the flare guns, Hailey and Ben supporting Tom and Adriana and Sam at the back. Adriana had barely said a word the entire time. Athena paused, halting the group.

"What is it?" Dean asked. His question was answered by a growling coming up one of the many tunnels. "Looks like someone's home for supper," he commented dryly. Sam snorted.

"We'll never outrun it," Hailey said. Dean, however, shook his head. He glanced back at his brother.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, I think so" Sam replied, although he glanced at Adriana before he did so. Dean saw his eye movement and nodded.

All right, listen to me." Dean addressed the group. "Sam's gonna get you out of here." As he expected, Athena protested. What he didn't expect is that Adriana didn't contest him.

"What are you going to do?" Athena asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Dean winked at her and turned away, walking back down the tunnel. Sam watched him go, waiting until they could barely see him.

"All right, come on. Hurry!" Sam urged the group as he took the lead, helping Adriana along. They could hear Dean's voice ringing throughout the cave.

"Chow time, you freaky bastard! Yeah, that's right, bring it on, baby, I taste _good_."

As Sam hurried everyone along, there was some growling noise behind them. He turned around and pointed his gun directly in the direction of the sound, then lowered the flare gun and turned to face Adriana and Athena. "Drie, Thena, get them outta here."

Adriana's eyes widened. "What? Sam, no!"

"Drie, you've gotta."

"Not without you!" She protested, but he shook his head.

"I'll be all right, I promise." He stepped forward and kissed her forehead. "Now, go." She nodded her head tightly, not wanting to leave him, before ushering the Collins family quickly away from Sam. "Go, go, go!" Sam urged more. Sam held the flare gun up, pointing it down the tunnel as more growling was heard. "Come on, come on," He muttered to himself.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to see further down the cave before pressing himself up against the wall, waiting for the creature. Sam heard more growling and turned to his right to see the wendigo right beside him. He jumped back a little and shot his flare at it, missing. He quickly hopped up and hurried down the tunnel toward the group. Hailey turned and saw someone coming.

"Sam!"

"Come on. Hurry, hurry, hurry," He said as he urged them to the end of the tunnel which turned out to be a dead end. Sam stepped in front of the group, holding his arms out. "Get behind me," He instructed the group. Sam could feel Adriana press herself against his side, shaking as the wendigo slowly approached them.

"Hey!" Dean shouted from behind the wendigo. It turned towards his voice just as Dean shot his gun, the flare hitting the creature and watched as it went up in flames. As its ashes fell, Dean glanced at Sam, grinning. "Not bad, huh?"

Sam just grinned back, wrapping an arm around Adriana as he felt her relax against him.

"Thanks for saving our asses Dean. You are a hero, and we worship you," Athena said sarcastically, but grinning slightly to show she was a little serious.

"I know. If I wasn't so modest, I'd be perfect."

Adriana snorted, wrapping her own arms around Sam. He smiled down at her. "What do you say we get out of here?" he asked. The group nodded collectively and made their way into the forest. Tommy squinted when the light hit his eyes, having been in the cave for the longest period of time.

"You okay?" Hailey asked her brother quietly. He nodded, and took another painful step forward, his weight being supported by his siblings.

"So who are they?" he asked in a rough voice, gesturing to the Winchesters and co.

"The two guys are the Winchester brothers. Sam's the tall one and Dean's the other one. Dean's the oldest and they're brothers... the blonde girl is Adriana and the tall girl is Athena... they claimed they were park rangers but they were looking for the Winchester's dad... and they knew it wasn't a grizzly..." she said, shrugging. Tommy didn't reply, trying to understand it all.

Up ahead, Dean was talking to Athena.

"So. You're normal now. Well, as normal as _you_ could be," he said, smirking. She glared at him.

"I'm more normal than you, Dean Winchester," she pronounced, sniffing.

"Doubtful," he said, still smirking. She darted forward and grabbed his bag.

"Hey! What are you doing!" he called, taking a step towards her. She stepped back, unzipping the bag.

"I swear, Thena, if you-" He cut himself off as she cheerily opened the bag and began looking inside until she found what she was looking for. It was car keys. Dean's jaw dropped. She dumped the bag on the ground and tucked the keys into her bra.

"Come and get them," she said before sprinting off through the forest. Dean ran past his bag and chased after her.

"Sammy can you carry my bag?" he called back as he ran past his younger brother. Sam stared after him, bewildered, before looking back at the confused Collinses and his bag, lying on the forest floor. He grabbed his brother's bag, and kept walking. Adriana shook her head.

"And he has the nerve to call _me_ childish."

Despite the fact that Athena had more speed, Dean had a greater motive and he soon caught up with her. He hid behind a tree a little way away from her, and she slowed into a walk, looking around laughing. He jumped out from behind the tree and grabbed her around the waist, hauling her over his shoulder. She screamed and laughed

"You're an ass," he said as he walked them back to the rest of the group.

"And you are an asshole," she said, frowning on his shoulder. He shrugged as best he could with her on his shoulder.

"You have my keys."

"Aren't you a smart one," she said sarcastically. They rounded the corner to see the group. Sam just shook his head.

"Give me back my keys," Dean said, before unceremoniously dumping her onto the ground and rolling his shoulders. As he did, the keys fell out of her bra and onto the ground. Athena dived for them but Dean picked them up first. She glared at him, and he smirked.

"You snooze, you lose," he said, grabbing his bag off Sam.

"Yes, and right now we are snoozing. We should get out of this forest and back to civilisation," Sam said, ever the level headed one. Athena rolled her eyes and stood up.

"So shouldn't we leave Dean here? I mean, civilisation is anywhere he isn't, right?" she asked, smiling sweetly. Dean glared at her.

Adriana laughed. "She's got a point, Dean."

He turned his glare onto Adriana. "No one asked you, Princess."

"Will you stop calling me that?" She questioned, glaring.

Dean smirked. "Does it bother you?" He asked and she nodded. "Good. Then I'll continue doing it."

Adriana rolled her eyes as she turned back to Hailey and her siblings. "You guys okay?" She asked and Hailey nodded.

"Yeah. I think we just wanna get out of here before nightfall," She stated. She knew the wendigo was gone, but it would still ease her mind more once they were out of the woods for good.

Adriana nodded in understanding. "I agree." She turned to Dean. "You should give me a piggyback ride," She told him and he scoffed then smirked.

"Why don't you ask Ben to give you one?" He teased her playfully and she rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.

"Why don't you shut your mouth and go and fuc-" Sam cut her off before she could get any more violent with her words.

"Why don't we all walk a little faster?" he asked, shooting his brother a look. They were all silent after that, making good time. When Hailey saw their cars, she sagged slightly with relief. Dean and Sam helped her put Tommy into the backseat of the car. They climbed into the Impala and pulled away after Hailey's car. Dean was driving, and Sam was in the front with him.

"Are you okay?" Athena asked Adriana quietly. Adriana glanced over at the other girl surprised.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. Athena shrugged.

"I don't know... I just thought I'd check," she said. Adriana looked at her for a moment longer before looking back out the window.

"Someone already checked," she said quietly, smiling to herself. Dean followed Hailey to the parking lot for the entrance to the park. She climbed out of the car and dialed 911. Within the next ten minutes, ambulances surrounded the station. The ambulance officers loaded up Tom quickly. Hailey was talking to them while they treated him. Meanwhile, two police officers were interviewing Ben. Sam and Adriana stood behind him.

"And the bear came back again after you yelled at it?" the officer was saying. ben nodded furtively.

"Yeah. That's when it circled the campsite. I mean this grizzly must have weighed eight hundred, nine hundred pounds," he said. Sam and Adriana nodded.

"That's right officer. It was huge," Adriana added. The officer glanced at her and flipped his notebook shut.

"All right, we'll go after it first thing." With that, the officer walked away as Ben turned to Adriana and Sam.

"Thanks," He said smiling at Adriana then quickly turned to Sam. "Both of you."

Sam nodded while Adriana smiled back at Ben. "No problem," She told him nodding her head in the direction of the other three. "Come on," She said leading the way over to them.

"So, I don't know how to thank you," Hailey told Dean sincerely and Dean smirked causing Hailey to smile and glance down shaking her head. "Must you cheapen the moment?" She asked, gazing back up at him.

He nodded. "Yeah," He said as a paramedic walked up to Hailey.

"You riding with your brother?" She asked and Hailey nodded her head.

"Yeah," She said and the paramedic nodded and turned back to the ambulance and climbed in as Hailey turned to Ben. "Ready to go?" She asked and he nodded. She turned back to Dean and kissed him on the cheek. "I hope you find your father," She said softly.

Dean nodded. "Thanks." She walked back to the ambulance and climbed in beside her brothers.

"Close her up," a paramedic called.

"Man, I hate camping," Dean said as he walked back to sit his car.

"You hate everything, Dean," Adriana said.

"Especially you," he retorted. She poked her tongue out at him.

"You couldn't hate me. No one can hate me," she said, climbing into the car. Athena raised her eyebrow at Dean.

"You can't. And this is coming from one who tried," she said before getting into the front seat. Adriana mock gasped.

"I'm actually quite offended by that comment, Athena," she said. Sam climbed in after Adriana, pushing her over when she wouldn't move.

"And like Dean hates everything, if you had your way, you'd be offended about everything."

"And if you had your way, you'd be sullen about everything. And Athena would be sarcastic about everything," she snapped.

"Athena _is_ sarcastic about everything," Dean commented as they pulled away from Blackwater Ridge.

"Would you like to drop me off at the airport tonight or tomorrow morning?" She asked and Sam turned to her.

"You're leaving?"

She nodded. "I told you I was leaving after this case," She told him quietly. "I need to get back home. I've missed enough classes as it is, Sam."

"We'll drop you off tomorrow morning," Dean told her as he glanced at his little brother and saw his face fall.

Adriana nodded. "Thanks, Dean," She said as he drove to their motel. "I just want some sleep right now," She said yawning and Dean nodded in agreement.

"Today has been a long, crazy day. We all need rest. Drie, what times your flight?" He asked.

"Whenever I can get there and buy a ticket," She told him and he nodded.

"So, we don't have to wake up early?" He asked. "Thank god!"

They drove back to their motel. There was no friendly banter as they made their way up to their room. After a case like this, they were all drained, emotionally and physically. It was a hard job, to be a hunter.

Sam woke first. He stared at the girl lying beside him. This case would be the closest he would ever see her to breaking. He stroked her hair. The plan he and Dean had used was the same one John Winchester and Matthew Tanner had used to kill the Wendigo in Minnesota. Matt had been the bait and Matthew had received the phone call from Adriana, meaning he was distracted. John tried as hard as he could to save his friend, but he still died. He just lay there until Adriana finally blinked her big blue eyes open. The dark marks she'd had under them were rapidly disappearing.

"Hey Sammy," she said quietly before sliding out of the bed.

"Hi Drie," he said back, equally as quietly. She walked across to the bathroom without replying. She knew he wasn't happy she was leaving again. But he had to understand that she wasn't a hunter. He wasn't a hunter either but he felt he had to be for his dad, his mom, his brother. She sighed as she turned on the shower, the hot water helping clear her mind.

Sam groaned as he sat up. He didn't want her to leave. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her hunting with them until she had come with them. Athena made it easier to hunt with Dean, but she wasn't Adriana. It wasn't the same. He needed the little blonde girl there to keep him calm. But she didn't want to stay. Honestly, Sam was surprised that she had stayed this long on the hunts with them. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned again, Dean's voice breaking through his thoughts.

"You gotta let her go sometime, Sam." He looked over at Dean.

"But why?" he asked, giving a puppy dog pout that almost surpassed Adriana's.

"She's not supposed to be doing this, Sam. She's not made for this."

"You say that, yet on how many hunts had Drie saved our asses," Sam said, sighing.

"But you can't make her do something she doesn't want to Sam. I thought I was the unreasonable one, but can't you see she has to leave?" Sam glared at his brother, hating that he was right. Athena rolled over and stood up.

"Morning boys," she said, her trademark smirk across her face.

"Hel-lo Athena and how did you sleep?" Dean questioned with exaggerated manners.

"Rather well, Dean, and yourself?" she asked, adopting an affected British accent. Dean snorted.

"How did you learn to do all these accents?" he asked her.

"Vat accents do you mean, comrade?" she asked, winking in a Russian accent. Dean shook his head, laughing.

"You're terrible, you know that, right?" he said. She paused for a moment.

"Yep. I know."

Dean shook his head as Adriana walked out of the bathroom, ready to go and dressed in a pair of ripped shorts and a plaid collared shirt that tied in a knot in the front, showing off her tan stomach. She sat down on the edge of the bed without saying a word and slipped on a pair of ankle boots with a slight wedge. She sat back, sighing, still not saying a word. She wanted to go, she really did because hunting wasn't for her. But being with the Winchesters, hunting felt right. It felt right behind here with Sam. She wasn't sure if she was ready to leave that.

"You ready to go?" Dean asked her and she nodded her head. "I gotta get ready then I'll take you to the airport while these two clean up the room and get packed. It's not that far from here," He added as he stood up grabbing his bag of clothes. After they had dropped Adriana off, he needed to seriously do some laundry.

Sam watched her walk over to the door, before saying anything. "Drie!" he said, and she turned. He quickly crossed the room and Sam hugged Adriana tightly.

"Don't miss me too much, okay?" she said into his chest. He squeezed her before letting her go.

"I'll try not to," he told her, stepping back.

"See you Thena," she said, lifting a hand to acknowledge the dark haired hunter. She grinned slightly at her nickname.

"See you Drie," she mimicked. Adriana walked out of the room, and a few minutes later, they heard the Impala pull away from their motel. As soon as it had disappeared, Sam sat down onto the bed, a crestfallen expression on his face. Adriana was gone-again. He rested his head in one of his hands, rubbing his temples. This shouldn't have bothered him this much, but it did.

"You'll see her again," Athena told him quietly and he sighed.

"Yeah, but when?" He asked. "Six more years?" He shook his head. There was no way he could wait six more years to see her.

"You'll see her sooner than that, Sam. Have a little faith," She said quietly and Sam shook his head standing up.

"Come on. We need to pack up and be ready to leave by the time Dean gets back."

_~Far Away~_

Dean drove the Impala to the airport. He glanced over at Adriana who had her chin resting in her palm, her gaze turned out to glance at the trees and clouds outside the windows. The expression on her face was somewhere between sad and happy. He knew she was torn, that much was obvious. He knew she didn't want to leave any of them, and if he was being honest, he didn't want her to leave her either. She was like his little sister and he enjoyed their witty banter. He definitely missed her on the cases she hadn't been on. But, he also knew hunting wasn't for her, and he wanted her to be happy.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked her.

"What's this? Dean Winchester getting all sympathetic in his old age?" she asked, smiling as she turned to face him. Dean smiled back.

"No. I'm just curious to know what's going on in the crazy blonde head of yours," he said lightly. Adriana sighed.

"Yeah. I'll be okay. I'll miss you though," she said. Dean took his eyes off the road briefly.

"I'll miss you too, Princess. But we can't keep you locked up in this tower," he said, playing the analogy.

"Oh, but I will miss my handsome prince," she replied, smiling impishly.

"By the use of the word 'handsome' I shall assume you are referring to me." Adriana rolled her eyes.

"Of course, my liege," she said as the glittering lights of the airport came into view. She sighed as he pulled up to the side of the drop off area.

"Here we are," Dean said.

She sighed again as she pulled out her Glock 26 and handed it to Dean. "I can't get it through airport security," She explained.

"How'd you get it here?" He questioned taking the gun from her.

"Toledo's security sucks." She shook her head. "Keep it. I've got another one back at my apartment," She added as she climbed out of the car, slinging her pink duffel bag over her shoulders. Dean got out as well and stepped around to the passenger's side. He pulled the petite blonde into a hug. "Don't get all emotional on me," Adriana joked with him as she hugged him back.

Dean laughed, pulling away. "In your dreams." He ruffled her hair a little, and she glared up at him.

"Really? I'm not four, Dean." She crossed her arms over her chest, and he laughed.

"Yeah. You're just as short as a four year old," He added teasingly, and she rolled her eyes.

"You're an ass, you know that?"

"I do know that. You and Thena tell me all the time," He told her, and she smiled at the use of Athena's nickname by him.

"Just so you know it's true," she said before turning back to desk. "I have to go Dean," she said.

"I know. Just this time... call maybe? Six years is a long time, Drie."

"The phone works both ways, Dean," she said, hoisting her bag over her shoulder and walking through the lines.

Dean watched her go for a minute before walking out of the airport himself. He quickly drove back to their motel. They had to hit the road again, find a new case. He pulled into the Laundromat and chucked their clothes in, watching it tumble around in the machine. After their clothes had been washed and cleaned, they loaded back up into the Impala and drove into the next town where they had stopped to get some sleep.

They found another case and worked on that. They did that for a few months, just finding random cases to work on until one morning Dean's cell phone rang. Dean wasn't answering it and it had woken Sam up. Athena groaned and rolled over.

"Somebody answer the damn phone," She mumbled into the pillow from the couch.

Sam groaned and reached over, grabbing Dean's phone. He flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?" The number was one he didn't recognize.

_"Sam? Is that you?"_

Sam froze. It was his father's voice. He sat up. "Dad?" He asked, his voice quiet, not quite believing this. "Are you hurt?"

_"I'm fine," _John Winchester told Sam.

"We've been looking for you everywhere," Sam told his father. "We didn't know where you were, if you were okay..."

_"Sammy, I'm alright. What about you and Dean?" _Sam glanced over at his brother. He was stirring in the bed.

"We're fine Dad. Where are you?" he asked.

_"Sorry, kiddo, I can't tell you that."_

"What? Why not?" Sam asked. Dean was finally awake.

"Is that Dad?" he asked frantically.

_"Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You're just gonna have to trust me on this,"_ John was saying.

"You're after it, aren't you," Sam said quietly. "That thing that killed Mom."

_"Yeah... it's a demon, Sam."_

"A demon?" Sam asked, surprised. "You know for sure?"

"A demon?" Dean's tone echoed Sam as he sat up and leant towards Sam. "What's he saying?"

_"I do. Listen Sammy, I, uh... I also know what happened to your girlfriend. I'm so sorry. I would've done anything to protect you from that,"_ John said sincerely.

"You know where it is?" Sam asked, ignoring the apology.

_"Yeah I think I'm finally closing in on it."_

"Let us help," Sam said.

_"You can't. You can't be any part of it,"_ John said firmly. Athena rolled back over in her bed, stretching. She saw the boys looking strained and they both seemed to be gravitating around Dean's cell.

"Why not?" Sam asked, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Give me the phone," Dean asked, extending his hand for it. Sam ignored him.

_"Listen Sammy, that's why I'm calling you. You and your brother, you gotta stop looking for me. Alright, now I need you to write down these names_."

"Names?" Sam asked, confused. "What names? Dad, talk to me, tell me what's going on."

_"Look, we don't have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe"_

"No," Sam said. "Alright? No way," he said, anger coming into his voice. All the months they'd spent searching for their father and now he was just telling them to stop looking?

"Give me the damn phone," Dean demanded, glaring at his younger brother.

_"I've given you an order. Now, you stop following me, and you do your job. You understand me? Now, take down these names."_ Even over the phone, John Winchester had a commanding air to his voice. Dean lent over and snatched the phone off his brother. Sam stared down at his hands, before looking up to see Athena staring at them, wide eyed.

"Dad it's me," Dean said. "Where are you?" There was a pause. "Yes sir," Dean said, ignoring the look his brother was giving him. "Uh yeah, I got a pen... what are their names?" He jotted down the names, doing exactly as his father instructed. After he had taken down the names, he flipped his phone shut, hanging up on their father. He glanced down at the list of names before turning to Sam who had a hard look on his face. "Sam?"

"I can't believe you let him go, just like that," He stated shaking his head.

Dean ignored him. "Okay. We need to be ready to leave in fifteen minutes," He stated. "Dad's got a case for us," He added before disappearing into the bathroom to change.

Athena glanced at Sam. "You okay?" She asked him. He glared, not at her, just in general.

"He has some sort of hero-worship thing for Dad. You heard him. Yes sir. No sir. Three bags full sir," Sam said sarcastically, standing up and grabbing his bag.

"That's not what I asked about Sam. Are you okay?" she repeated. He gave her a grim smile.

"I'll live," he said, carrying his bag over to the bathroom and waiting outside until Dean reappeared. He didn't say anything to his brother, just sullenly closed the door.

"What's up with him?" Dean asked Athena. She stood up, the duvet falling off her, shrugging.

"Why don't you ask him? You're his brother," she said.

"Because he thinks all I do is follow dad's orders," he said, pulling his boots on and lacing them up. Athena raised her eyebrows as she grabbed her clothes.

"Dean. All you did on the phone was follow your dad's orders," she said. Dean glared at her.

"I'm hoping this is one of the many times you're being sarcastic," he snapped. She smirked at him.

"On the contrary Dean. This is one of the rare times I'm _not _being sarcastic. So suck it up, sunshine," she said.

Dean glared. "I think I prefer you when you were being sarcastic," He stated rolling his eyes as he grabbed his duffel bag and began to check his guns, a habit he did whenever he was mad and didn't want to talk to anyone else.

Athena rolled her eyes as Sam stepped out of the bathroom and Athena disappeared inside. She came back out a few minutes later ready to go. She noticed that Sam was sitting as far away from Dean as possible and the two brothers probably hadn't said a word to each other.

"We ready to go?" She asked them. They both nodded and Dean began to load the guns back up into his bag and Sam stood up.

"I'll go check us out," He stated before leaving the room.

"Well, this car ride is going to be awkward," Athena mumbled and sure enough she was right. The car ride was quiet most of the way. Sam apparently had had enough so he broke the silence, needing to have Dean explain to him why they were heading away from where their father had been.

"All right, so the names dad gave us, they're all couples?" He questioned Dean, glancing over to the passenger side where his older brother was sitting. These were the rare moments when Sam drove the Impala.

"Three different couples-all went missing," Dean explained as he used a flashlight and looked at all the papers in his lap while Athena sat in the back.

"And they're all from different towns? Different states?" She asked.

Dean glanced back at her and nodded. "That's right. You got Washington, New York, Colorado. Each couple took a road-trip across country; none of them arrived at their destination, and none of them were ever heard from again."

"Well, it's a big country, Dean," Sam said sarcastically. "They could have disappeared anywhere."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, could've," He said as he shuffled through the papers, finding one he was looking for. "But, each one's route took 'em into the same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April, one year after another."

Sam turned to Dean. "This is the second week of April."

Dean nodded. "Yep."

"So, dad is sending us to Indiana to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?"

"Yahtzee," Dean said. "Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different orbits dad had to go through? The man's a master." He glanced back at the papers and Athena watched as Sam clenched his jaw shut, a grim expression on his face. He glanced Dean before pulling the car over onto the shoulder of the road and put the car into park before turning it off. "What are you doing?" He asked his little brother.

"We're not going to Indiana," he said. Dean raised his eyebrows.

"We're not?" he asked.

"No," he said firmly. "We're going to California. Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento Area code."

"Sam," Dean said wearily.

"Dean if this is the demon that killed mom and Jess, and Dad's closing in, we've gotta be there. We've gotta help."

"Dad doesn't want our help," Dean said harshly.

"I don't care!"

"He's given us an order," Dean said, giving his brother a look.

"I don't care," Sam repeated. "We don't always have to do what he says."

"Sam, Dad is asking us to work jobs, save lives. It's important."

"Alright, I understand, believe me, I understand. But I'm talking one week here, man, to get answers. To get revenge."

"Alright, look, I know how you feel," Dean began.

"Do you?" Sam questioned harshly and Dean stared at him in shock. "How old were you when mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago, Dean. How the hell would you know how I feel?" He questioned.

Dean ignored Sam's questioning. "Dad said it wasn't safe, for any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't so, if he says stay away, we stay away."

Sam glared at Dean. "I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man! I mean, it's like you don't even question him!"

"Yeah, it's called being a good son!" Dean snapped, and Sam opened the door and got out of the car, slamming the door shut. He walked around to the trunk and begin unloading things out of it.

"No, it's called being a good soldier," Sam told Dean who got out of the car angrily at that comment. Athena climbed out as well. She had never seen the two boys fight this much and not to this extent.

"You're a selfish bastard, you know that?" Dean questioned Sam. "You just do whatever you want. Don't care what anybody thinks."

"That's what you really think?" Sam questioned him harshly.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that's what I think," He said and Athena's mouth hung open in shock.

Sam shook his head. "Well, then this selfish bastard is going to California." He slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking.

"Come on! You're not serious!" Dean called after him.

"I am serious!" Sam called back, not turning around.

"It's the middle of the night!" He paused. "Hey! I'm taking off!" He warned him and Athena's mouth hung open more in shock. "I will leave your ass, you hear me!"

Sam stopped walking and turned around to face Dean. "That's what I want you to do."

"Goodbye Sam," was all Dean said before closing the trunk and getting in the car.

Athena paused a moment longer, before lowering her eyes and following Dean. Sam hadn't expected any different. Athena was a hunter now, and Dean was going hunting. Sam watched them leave, before pulling his bag onto his shoulders and walking in the opposite direction. Athena glanced over at Dean. He was gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"And then there were two.." she said very quietly. Dean looked over at her.

"Not by our choice," he replied, equally as quietly, his voice low with anger.

"I woulda thought you would have been the one hell bent on finding the demon," she remarked, her voice back at the normal volume.

"I would much rather obey my father's wishes," he said stiffly. Athena had noticed he'd never been one to talk about his feelings, but he was even more tight lipped than usual.

Athena nodded, deciding it best to keep her mouth shut and not push the subject. The rest of the car ride to Indiana was quiet. Occasionally, one of them would try to make small talk but it eventually would die away. After a few more hours, the two pulled up into a small town. Athena glanced over at Dean as he pulled out his cellphone after turning the car off. He went through some of the contacts, and stopped on one trying to decide if he wanted to call it or not. Athena assumed it was Sam's.

Dean decided it against it and flipped his phone shut and shoved it into his jacket pocket before getting out of the car. "Let's go," He said to Athena." He walked up to Scotty's Cafe. Dean sauntered over to a man sitting in a chair outside. "Let me guess," he said, smirking and gesturing to the sign. "Scotty?"

"Yep," the man said.

"Hi, my name's John Bonham," Dean said confidently. Scotty regarded him for a moment.

"Isn't that the drummer for Led Zeppelin?" he asked. Dean looked taken aback.

"Wow. Good. Classic rock fan" he said messily. Athena rolled her eyes and stepped up beside Dean. She was wearing skinny jeans with her combat boots, a ribbed singlet and she had her jacket slung across her arm.

"I'm Anamaria Reichs," she said, trying to defuse the situation. Scotty eyed her up and down but she met his gaze straight on.

"What can I do for you two?" he asked, prompting Dean to take a flier of two people out of his jacket pocket. The names down the bottom read Holly and Vince Parker.

"I was wondering, uh, if you'd seen these people by any chance?" Dean queried. Scotty leaned forward to study the faces.

"Nope. Who are they?"

"They're friends of ours," Dean explained. "They went missing about a year ago. They passed through somewhere around here and I already checked in Scottsburg and Salem-" He said and Scotty handed him the flyer back.

"Sorry," He said. "We don't get very many strangers around here," He added and Dean nodded.

"Scotty? You got a smile that lights up a whole room, anybody ever tell you that?" He said and Scotty just stared at him and Dean laughed nervously. "Never mind. See ya around."

_~Far Away~_

"What are we supposed to do?" Athena asked Dean as he walked into another store.

"We keep asking people about them. Someone's bound to have seen them before," He told the dark-haired girl.

"But what if they haven't?" Athena asked.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Since when are you the depressing one?"

"Since we don't have another person to watch our backs now," she retorted snappily.

"Look, I survived as a hunter on my own for a good few years before Sam went to college. I don't need anyone's help," Dean snapped. Athena looked at him.

"You're driving everyone away, Dean, because your dad doesn't want your help," she said quietly. Dean glowered at her.

"I am not and I'd appreciate if you shut up or changed the subject," He stated as an elder man walked up to them.

"Hi, I'm Harley and this is my wife, Stacey, what can we help you with?" He asked them very nicely, and Dean pulled out the same flyer he had shown Scotty.

"We're just looking for our friends, maybe you've seen them? They passed through here about a year ago," He explained.

Harley took the picture from him and he shook his head. "Nope. Haven't seem them," He said as he handed the flyer to Stacey.

"You sure they didn't stop for gas or something?" He asked and they both shook their head.

"Nope, don't remember them," Harley told them. "You said they were friends of yours?"

"That's right," Dean said as a blonde girl of about Adriana's age came downstairs carrying a box.

"Did the guy have a tattoo?" She asked him. "I'm Emily by the way."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, he did. And I'm Dean and this is Athena," He said as he handed the flyer to her.

Emily put the boxes down on a counter and looked at the picture of the couple, Vince and Holly. She turned to Harley and Stacey. "They were just married, you remember?"

Harley nodded his head as if a light bulb had gone off. "You're right, they did stop for gas. Weren't here for more than ten minutes."

Dean nodded. "You remember anything else?" He asked.

"I told 'em how to get back to the interstate," Harley told Dean. "Then they left town."

"Could you point us in the same direction?" Dean asked.

"Sure," Harley said as he stepped outside with Dean and Athena behind him. "Interstate's that way down that road. Can't miss it if you follow the signs."

Dean nodded. "All right, well thank you. You guys have been a ton of help."

They followed Emily's directions out along the interstate. Dean drove slowly, looking at the trees bordering the road. As they passed an orchard, a noise came from the backseat.

"Pull over," Athena said unnecessarily, as Dean moved the Impala onto the curb.

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked as Athena leaned over the backseat, giving Dean a good view of her ass.

"I don't know," she said, grabbing his bag and pulling it into the front. She unzipped it and looked through out, pulling out the EMF meter. It was going crazy. Dean pulled the handbrake on.

"It's worth checking out," he said, climbing out of the car and locking it when Athena followed. The beeping increased as they neared the orchard. They walked through the groves. Dean caught a glimpse of a tall figure.

"What's that?" he asked, before walking over to it without waiting for an answer. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't know. Why don't we go and look at it," she muttered, kicking at the ground as she followed him, the sun streaming through the trees to light their way.

"Dude, you fugly," Dean said to the scarecrow and Athena laughed.

"Very mature, Dean."

He rolled his eyes before studying the scarecrow carefully. He noticed it had a sickle and an odd design on its arm. He glanced around before walking over and grabbing a ladder. He carried it over and propped it up against the tree before climbing up it so he was eye level with the scarecrow. He moved the ripped shirt of the scarecrow aside and saw that the design was in fact a tattoo on its arm. He raised an eyebrow. He had seen that tattoo somewhere, but he couldn't quite place it.

Suddenly, he turned to Athena. "Let me see the flyer," He said and Athena handed it to him without objection. He glanced at the tattoo on Vince's arm in the flyer and turned back to the scarecrow. The tattoos were exactly the same. "Nice tat," He stated sarcastically as he climbed down from the ladder and put it back.

"What is it?" Athena asked.

"That scarecrow has the exact same tat as the missing person, Vince," Dean explained to Athena as he handed the flyer to her so she could see.

"But how's that possible?" She asked.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that scarecrow is the thing that killed Vince and Holly," He told her.

"It... killed them?" she asked, snorting. "Really Dean, the thing might be 'fugly' as you so eloquently put it, but I fail to see how an inanimate object..." she trailed off, realising what she was saying. Dean grinned at her.

"And that is not Athena the hunter speaking," he said. "Spooky orchard playing tricks on your brain?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"So what? Hit the library, search for local deaths concerning this orchard, town or scarecrow?" she asked, ignoring his jibe.

"Preferably all three," Dean said as they walked back through the orchard. "First though, I need gas in the Impala."

Athena nodded as they got into the car and drove back into town where Dean pulled up to a gas station. They both climbed out of the car and Emily walked up to them smiling.

"You're back?" She asked.

Dean smiled at her. "We never left."

"Still looking for your friends?" She asked them.

Dean nodded. "You mind filling 'er up there, Emily?" He asked and she nodded then grabbed a gas pump and began to put gas into the Impala. "So, you grew up here?" He asked her.

"I came here when I was thirteen," She told him. "I lost my parents... car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in," She added.

"They're nice people," Athena commented.

Emily nodded. "Everybody here's nice."

"So, what? It's the, uh, perfect little town?" Dean asked.

Emily shrugged. "Well, you know, it's the boonies, but I love it here. I mean, the towns around us, people are losing their homes, their farms... but here, it's almost like we're blessed."

Dean nodded. "Hey, you been out to the orchard? You seen the scarecrow?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah, it creeps me out."

"I can see why," Athena stated and Emily laughed.

"Whose is it?" Dean asked her.

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. It's just always been there."

Dean glanced around then nodded at a red van parked by the garage. "That your aunt and uncles?" He asked.

Emily glanced in the direction he was looking then shook her head. "No. A customers. Had some car trouble," She explained.

"It's not a couple is it? A guy and a girl?" He asked and Emily nodded her head. Athena glanced at Dean as his eyes went wide in concern as Emily stopped pumping the gas and he paid for it.

"We can't let them go out there," Athena stated once Emily had walked away. "We've got to stop them."

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious," he said, walking through the town back to Scotty's café. She smirked at him.

"No problem, Sargent Sarcasm," she replied. He smirked back at her.

"You know, one day," he began, turning around so he could deliver a full-blown 'Dean' lecture. "Someone's going to take your sarcasm as 'I want to die. Please kill me-" He didn't get any further as he stumbled backwards over a curb. Athena smirked at him, lying on the ground.

"What was that, Dean?" she asked, while extending her hand. He took it grudgingly and she pulled him up.

"That was nothing," he said, glaring. She laughed.

"That was nothing just like the wendigo was a 'grizzly'," she said.

"But Athena," Dean said, wide eyed. "It was only a grizzly," he said in a mock innocent tone.

"Dean, I think you've been hanging around Adriana way too much. You should know only she, and occasionally your brother can pull off the innocent look." At the mention of Sam, Dean's face hardened and he looked away. Athena sighed. "No need to be dramatic," she muttered.

Dean opened the door and walked into the cafe, Athena behind just as Scotty walked away from a couple sitting at a table. "Oh, hey, Scotty. Can we get two coffees, black?" He asked and Scotty nodded his head, a bit annoyed to see the two of them back here. "Oh and some of that pie while you're at!" He called to him as he disappeared. Him and Athena sat in a table next to the couple and Dean turned to them. "How ya doin'?" He greeted them. "Just passing through?"

The girl nodded. " A road trip."

Dean smiled. "Us too," He said as Scotty walked over and refilled the couples' cups.

"I'm sure these people want to eat in peace," Scotty told Dean a little harshly.

"Just a little friendly conversation," Dean told him innocently and Scotty walked away. "Oh, and that coffee, too, man!" He called before turning back to the couple.

"So, what are you guys doing in a town like this?" Athena asked them.

"We stopped for gas," The girl explained. "And the, uh, guy at the gas station saved our lives," She told Dean.

"Is that right?" Dean asked.

The guy nodded. "Yeah, one of our brake lines leaking. We had no idea. He said he'd fix it for us."

Dean gave him a curious look. "Nice people."

The guy nodded again. "Yeah."

"So, how long till you're up and runnin'?" He asked them.

"Sundown," The guy told him.

"Really?" Athena questioned in shocked.

"To fix a brake line?" Dean questioned. "I mean, you know, I know a thing or two about cars. I could probably have you up and runnin' in about an hour. I wouldn't charge you anything," He offered to them.

The girl glanced at her boyfriend before shaking her head. "You know, thanks a lot but we'd rather have a mechanic fix it."

"Sure, I know... You know, it's just these roads, they aren't safe at night," He said and the couple exchanged a glance.

"I'm sorry?" The girl questioned, not understanding.

Dean sighed as he glanced at Athena before turning back to the couple. "I know it sounds strange, but uh... You might be in danger."

The guy was clearly getting annoyed. "Look, we're trying to eat here. Okay?"

"Yeah..." Dean glanced down. His plan of trying to help them was backfiring because they were scared of him. "You know, my brother... he'd give you this puppy dog look and you'd buy right into it. Him and our friend Drie..." He sighed. as a bell above the door jingled and he glanced up to see someone walking inside.

"Thanks for coming, sheriff," He said before whispering a few things into his ear. The sheriff nodded as he walked over to Dean and Athena.

"I'd like a word," He told the two.

Dean groaned. "Come on. I'm already having a bad day."

The sheriff smirked. "You don't wanna make it worse."

Dean sighed as he stood and followed the sheriff out, Athena behind him. "What is it?"

"I want you out of my town, got it?" He said. "You're going to get in your car and I'm going to follow you until you are out. If you come back, I will not hesitate to throw in jail, do I make myself clear?"

Dean nodded, knowing when not to argue. "Got it," He said as he got into the Impala and Athena followed. He turned it on and drove towards the outskirts of town, the sheriff behind him. Once they had reached the city's limits, the sheriff turned around and left.

"What are we going to do?" She asked as Dean turned the car back around and parked it just a little ways away from the orchard.

"We wait until the couple comes this way then we save them. Like always," He stated. "It just makes our job more difficult that we can't go into the town."

"Difficult? Dean, this entire job invented the meaning of difficult. There is always some complication when we eventually figure out what the hell's going on anyway," she said to him. "Look, I've been thinking-"

"Always a bad idea," Dean cut over her, before miming zipping his lips as Athena glared at him

"-for you maybe. Anyway, I had a question," she said.

"Yes?" Dean prompted in expectation.

"Have you ever wanted out of the hunter's life?" she asked. Dean looked at her for a long moment, trying to gauge her thoughts.

"Why? You gonna leave me too?" he said evenly. She rolled her eyes.

"I doubt it, Dean. I love hunting. Brings to mind the quote 'You are never truly alive than when you're close to death.' But answer the damn question."

Dean sighed. "Once I did. A long time ago. But not anymore. Hunting's my life now," he said, shrugging.

"Is it what you want or what your father wants?" she asked. Dean's eyes flashed.

"I suggest we go and do our job now, Athena," he said. Athena noted the use of her full name and sighed again.

She glanced around, noticing that the sun had quickly slipped away and the moon had replaced it in the sky. She sighed and nodded her head, knowing he wasn't going to reveal any more information about himself emotionally. She sighed as headlights came around the bend up ahead, signalling the couple from earlier was on the road. They're car slowed down as it got closer before it pulled off to the side of the road. The couple climbed out of their car and headed down into the orchard probably looking for help.

Suddenly a scream ripped through the night air and Athena turned to Dean. "We should go now," She told him as he grabbed a sawed off shot gun out of his bag and handed her one as well.


	14. Together Again

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything of Supernatural, all rights belong to Eric Kripke and the CW team. We do own our original characters, Athena and Adriana. =] ENJOY!**

He quickly climbed out of the Impala and headed into the orchard towards the screams. They saw the couple rushing back to their car, and Dean and Athena hopped out of the trees in front of them.

"Get back to your car," Dean told them. The couple looked behind them and saw the scarecrow advancing which made Athena gasped. She hadn't actually expected to see it moving. "Go!" Dean shouted to the couple and they rushed off.

Dean cocked his gun and shot at the scarecrow. It stumbled but kept walking towards them. Dean pushed Athena towards the clearing by the road, motioning for her to start running which she did. He cocked his gun again, and shot at it as he started running as well. The bullet hit the scarecrow but it continued advancing towards them. Dean tried one more time to shoot at it in an attempt to stop it, but the scarecrow kept moving. Finally, Dean, Athena and the couple reach the road. Dean cocked his gun and looked around, but the scarecrow was gone, it had disappeared.

The man looked around terrified as his arm stayed around his girlfriend. "What-what was that?" He asked in between breaths.

Dean shook his head. "Don't ask."

As they walked back to the car, keeping their shotguns pointed and the couple ahead of them, Dean ran his ideas through Athena.

"It's not a spirit," he began.

"Because the rock salt didn't stop it?" Athena asked.

Dean nodded. "That and a series of other things. It's a god."

Athena spluttered. "A god?" she asked, eyebrows raised. Spirits, vampires, werewolves, all of those she understood. But a god?

"A Pagan God," Dean said, and her brow wrinkled in thought.

"Okay. What makes you say that?" she asked, trying to get her head around it.

Dean grinned in the dark. Athena was a quick learner and a good hunter, but being relatively new to the business meant that there were things she wasn't going to know instinctively. Because every hunter came across things they didn't know. Athena would just have more than most.

Dean ticked the list off his fingers. "The annual cycle of its killings? And the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. Like some kind of fertility right. And you should see the locals. The way they treated this couple. Fattenin' 'em up like a Christmas turkey."

"Like the last meal?" she asked. "Given to sacrificial victims?" she asked before looking forward to check if the couple we okay. They had their arms around each other and seemed to be coping okay given they'd just been attacked by a scarecrow.

"Yeah. I'm thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god. The god possessed the scarecrow-"

"And the scarecrow takes the sacrifice," Athena cut over him, nodding. "And for another year, the crops won't wilt, and disease won't spread."

"Yeah. That's my theory in any case," Dean said, shrugging.

They reached the cars. Dean walked over to the couple's car and put the hood up, fiddling around with a few parts. After about five minutes he told the guy to start the car. It worked.

"Just follow the interstate as fast as you can round to the next town," Dean said.

"Thank you so much," the woman said before they pulled away, doing well over the speed limit. Dean watched them go, and turned back to see Athena leaning against the driver's door of the Impala.

"No way are you driving my car," he said. She rolled in her eyes but walked around to the passenger seat without protest. As Dean turned the car on, she spoke.

"Two questions. Where are we going now?" she asked. Dean pulled off the side of the road.

"We'll stay in a motel in a nearby town," he said.

"Second question. Pagans have more than one god right?" she asked.

"Yep," Dean said, driving back down the interstate, but past Burkitsville. They were silent for about ten minutes before Athena interrupted the silence.

"So what god are we dealing with?"

"No clue, Thena. I'll see if there's a library or something in this town we can use."

Athena nodded. The same old ritual, she thought as they pulled into a motel about fifteen minutes out of Burkitsville. They rented out a room for a night, and they both collapsed into the beds. There was no arguing about who was on the couch and who was on the floor. Two beds; two people.

_~Far Away~_

Athena woke to an empty room in the morning. She glanced at a clock to see it was 9:00am. She sat up yawning. Dean's bed was made. She picked up her cell phone, flipping it over in her hands. She hadn't felt the need to call anyone the entire time she'd been on this job. And she still didn't. There was a knock on the door.

"Open up, Thena," Dean's low voice came, and she slid out of bed, stumbling across the room in her underwear. She grabbed the key and unlocked the door, to the sight of Dean standing there with two cups of coffee. He smirked when he saw her attire. "Nice underwear," he said, commenting on her red bra and matching undies.

She glared at him and grabbed a t-shirt, pulling it over her head. "Is that coffee black?" she asked, reaching over for it. Dean pulled the cups away, his eyebrows raised.

"Is that all the 'hello' I get? No 'Good morning Dean, thank you?' Just 'is that coffee black'?" he asked, sounding highly offended.

"If all I get is 'nice underwear' then yeah, that's all you get," she snapped, grabbing the coffee and glaring at him again.

"Well, be prepared to worship me more than you already do," Dean said cryptically and Athena rolled her eyes.

"Here we go," she muttered.

"I got us an appointment at a local community college with a professor. You know, since neither of us are what you'd call 'geeks'," he said.

"That's why you should've kept Sam around," she said bluntly. Dean placed his cup down, his turn to glare.

"Look, I didn't ask him to leave, Thena," he said. She shrugged.

"You may as well have. You pretty much forced him to go," she told him.

"You should shut up while you're ahead."

"Why? Because you don't like to hear the truth Dean? Is that it?" she asked sarcastically. Dean's hands clenched and he stepped forward.

"You've been with us for all of six months. You do _not_get to pass judgement on me or my family." Athena said nothing, she just looked at him with grey eyes, almost searing through him.

He looked away, grabbing his cup and the keys. "Are you coming with me?" he snapped. She looked at him.

"I would. But I wouldn't want to say the wrong thing and 'pass judgement'," she said, making air quotes.

Dean made a noise in the back of his throat before storming out of the room, slamming the door. Athena grabbed a pair of shorts and pulled them on before following him. He ignored her as she got in the car. They drove around a few blocks until they arrived outside a college. Dean walked into reception and asked to the the professor he'd made an appointment with. After a few minutes, he appeared.

"It's not often I get a research question about Pagan ideology," he said, walking through the college.

"Yeah well, call it our hobby," Dean told him, ignoring Athena who was walking behind them.

"But you said you were interested in local lore?" the professor queried.

"Yep," Athena said brightly, and the professor glanced back, giving her a quick smile.

"I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worship," he said regrettably.

"Yeah well, what if it was imported? You know, like the Pilgrims brought their religion over. Wasn't a lot of this area settled by immigrants?" Dean asked, pressing the subject.

"Well, yes-" the professor began.

"Like that town near here. Burkitsville. Where are their ancestors from?" Dean asked, cutting over him.

"Um, northern Europe, I believe. Scandinavia."

"What could you tell me- us, about those Pagan gods?" Dean asked, correcting himself.

"Well, there are hundred of Norse gods and goddesses."

Dean's face fell, imperceptibly.

"We're actually looking for one," Athena said clearly. "Might live in an orchard." She said, grinning slightly at Dean.

"An orchard you say?" the professor said, opening a classroom door. He went to a bookshelf behind the desk and pulled down a book, placing it carefully on the desk and opening it. "Woods god, hmm. Well, let's see," he began, turning through the book.

There were descriptions written in italic script and opposite, the picture of the god or goddess described. The professor was about to turn a page when Dean stopped him.

"Wait, wait, wait. What's that one?" he asked, pointing to a picture of what looked a scarecrow, surrounded by people worshipping it.

"Oh that's not a woods god, per se," the professor said.

"The V-Vanir?" he said, looking to the professor for correct pronunciation. He nodded. "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female," he read out. He tapped the picture, a smirk on his face. "Looks kinda like a scarecrow, don't you think?"

"I suppose," the professor said a little reluctantly.

"This particular Vanir's energy is sprung from a sacred tree?" Athena asked, leaning over them both and reading another line that had caught her attention.

"Well, Pagans believed that all sorts of things were infused with magic."

"So what would happen if the tree was torched?" Dean asked eagerly, forgetting they were in a theoretical situation. "You think it'd kill the god?" Athena rolled her eyes.

"Theoretically, he means," she said, trying to salvage the situation. Luckily the professor laughed.

"Son, these are just legends we're discussing," he said.

"Oh, of course," Dean said, but he shot Athena a look. "Yeah you're right. Listen, thank you very much," he said, taking the professor's hand.

"Glad I could help," the older man said, shaking Dean's hand. Dean turned and headed towards the door, but the second he opened it he was greeted with the butt of a shot gun to his forehead with Dean instantly collapsing on the ground.

"Hey!" Athena shouted, but before she could get out anything more, the professor behind her had picked up the large book and hit her across the back of the head. She collapsed as well. The professor and the sheriff exchanged a look.

"I'll need help carrying them down to my car," The sheriff stated and the professor nodded his head as he bent down to pick up Athena.

_~Far Away~_

Athena groaned in pain as she slowly blinked her eyes and sat up, which turned out to be a big mistake. She watched as the room spun around her and she instantly brought a hand up to her head which began to throb. She cursed as she remembered what happened. She remembered Dean getting his with the shotgun, then she blacked out. She sat up straighter. _Dean. _Where was he? She glanced around, but he wasn't in the room with her. She began to worry. She quickly stood up, ignoring the pain in her head and made her way to the door.

She grabbed the doorknob and turned it, but of course it was locked. She cursed again as she leaned down to examine the lock. From what Dean had told her, this was an easy lock to pick. She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and slowly began to attempt to pick the lock, hoping for the best. She heard a tiny click and she felt her spirits rise. She was careful not to get too excited in case it was nothing. She cautiously tried the knob again and it turned all the way. She grinned. Dean would be proud of her.

She slowly pushed the door open and made her way out once she had checked to make sure no one was around. She heard shouting coming from outside and it sounded like a girl and she sounded scared and pleading. She quickly rushed out the doors of the building she was in to see Harvey and Stacey pulling Emily along behind them. Emily was protesting and trying to understand what was going on, but they weren't answering her questions. Athena watched as Dean was dragged out of a cellar as well.

"Where are you taking us?" Emily pleaded for answers.

"You'll find out soon enough," Stacey told her. "Don't be afraid. It's all right."

"Uncle Harley, please!" Emily begged.

"I'm so sorry, Em. I wish it wasn't you," He said.

"Try to understand. It's our responsibility. And there's just no other choice. There's nobody else but you," Stacey said.

"But I'm your family!" Emily protested.

"Sweetheart, that's what sacrifice means. Giving up something you love for the greater good. The town needs to be safe. The good of the many outweighs the good of the one," Stacey told her niece quietly.

Athena shook her head. She couldn't understand how they could sacrifice their own niece just because the town was going to die. "Wait!" Athena shouted before she realized what she was doing and she watched Dean whip his head around in her direction, his green eyes piercing her, trying to figure out what she was doing.

"Let me be the sacrifice."

The townsfolk shared a look. It would work out better and appease the guilt of Harvey and Stacey. "Why would you want to be?" the sheriff asked.

"Because I, unlike you, actually care when innocent people die," she said, meeting their eyes. None of them looked away, but it was Harvey who broke the silence.

"Untie Emily," he said, and the sheriff complied. He moved over to infront of Athena, roughly tying her wrists tightly together. She didn't resist.

"Move," he said, pointing the gun at them. Dean and Athena began to walk.

"Good going, Goddess of Wisdom," Dean muttered. Athena glared.

"I couldn't let her die," was all she said.

"Yeah, but now you might die. You coulda got help,"

"Dean, I've learnt in the last six months or so: there are worse things than dying. And if I did die, I'd sure hope to hell I'd come back as a vengeful spirit on this town," she said, her face grim. Dean rolled his eyes. "And our only help is Toledo, Ohio and God knows where else." Dean grinned at the fact she classified Adriana as help.

"You're screwed, Thena. I hope you know this."

"How could I forget when you tell me on such a regular basis," she said.

"Well, it's been said that women have small memories."

"Well then I guess the size of my memory matches the size of your di-"

"Get in the car," Harvey said gruffly.

Dean and Athena obeyed without protest and the sheriff drove off. Neither one said a word to the other for fear that it would be overheard. Once they reached the orchard, which didn't take long because it wasn't far from the town, the sheriff grabbed Dean, dragging him out of the car.

"No need to be rough," Dean stated grimacing. "I would have come willingly," He added as Harvey pulled Athena out of the car a lot more nicely. They pulled them to the orchard and tied them both to separate trees, making sure they couldn't get away. Dean glanced up at the sheriff as he check over the ties. "How many people have you killed, sheriff? How much blood is on your hands?"

"We don't kill them," The sheriff stated.

"No, but you sure cover up after," Dean stated, narrowing his eyes. "I mean, how many cars have you hidden, clothes have you buried?" He asked, but the four elderly people walked away. "I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it!" He shouted after them.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Right... that's helping us get out of here." She paused as she tried to pull her wrists out of the ropes, but sighed giving up when it presented itself useless. "So, what's the plan?"

Dean glanced around. "I'm workin' on it."

_~Far Away~_

Adriana sighed as she wiped down the top of the counter just as the door to the bar opened and some guys walked in, all heading to the bar where she was. She quickly finished cleaning it off before stashing the towel underneath. She smiled at the guys. "What can I get you?" She asked, but before they could answer her cell phone went off. She caught the attention of the new girl, Leah-who had replaced Athena. Leah walked over to take the guys' drinks while Adriana pulled out her cell phone out of her jean skirt pocket and walked into the back room.

"What is it, Sam?" She asked. She'd like to think he was just calling just to talk to her, but she knew better than to think that. She knew he had to be calling about the case they were currently working on and she was a bit annoyed about it to be honest. He only called when he needed help, never just to talk.

"I can't get a hold of Dean, has he called you?" he asked. Adriana rolled her eyes.

"'Hello Adriana, how have you been in the last three or so months I haven't bothered to call you' would have been an acceptable apology Sam," she snapped.

"Yeah, well phones work both ways, Adriana," Sam said. Adriana grinned, unable to stay mad at him.

"Touche. So what's this you said about Dean?" she asked while walking to the back of the bar. "Aren't you with him?" she asked.

"No. We... had some differences. I thought maybe he'd called you," Sam said distractedly, skirting around her question.

"Samuel Ryan Winchester. Tell me what happened this instant." Sam could hear the iciness down the phone.

"Dad called."

"Your dad called you?" Adriana asked, surprised.

"Yeah. And told us to go to Indiana on a job. I didn't want to, I wanted to look for dad. And so I left Dean to do so." There was a pause.

"Is Thena with him?" Adriana asked.

"Yeah, but I tried her cell as well. No answer."

Another pause as Adriana ran some things over in her head. "You need to explain this entire situation to me, Sammy,"

"I could do that much better in person."

There was a final pause, this time one of hostility. "What am I to you Sam? Your best friend, or someone you can ring and summon when you can't sort your shit out," Adriana said harshly.

"No, not at a-" Sam began to say.

"Because that's what it feels like to me. Everytime you call, you want my help on a case, and you always make an excuse as to why I _have_to be here. You never think I might have a life."

"Drie, you don't have to come. It's not like I force you," Sam said, a little bit annoyed.

"Yeah but what if I didn't come and you died?" On the other end of the phone, Adriana's blue eyes were wide.

"And you say Dean's the dramatic one," Sam muttered. Adriana giggled. The two of them could never snap at the other and keep the hostility for more than a few minutes. "Drie, please. Dean is missing. He's not answering his phone and all I keep getting is his voicemail. I don't know what happened to him, and I really could use your help."

Adriana sighed. "I'll meet you there. What city?" He had said it was in Indiana which was one a state over for her, so she would meet him.

"Burkitsville," Sam told her, a tone of relief in his voice. "Thank you, Adrie," He told her and she rolled her eyes. He hadn't called her Adrie since they were really little.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... don't mention it."

She hung up the phone and walked back out to the bar. She leaned in and whispered to Leah about her having to leave for a family emergency. Leah nodded her head in understanding and told her she would cover the blonde's shift for the night. Adriana thanked her before walking outside to her car which was a candy red '02 convertible Mustang. Dean would have rolled his eyes at the newer model since he preferred classics, but she didn't quite care what he thought about her car.

She drove home and quickly packed some clothes in case she'd need to be there for a few nights before heading out to Indiana. She drove well over the speed limit all the way there, but she knew the tricks, having driven with Dean for a lot of her life. She rubbed her eyes blearily as she passed a sign signalling she was in Indiana. Not far to go now.

It was night when she reached Burkitsville. Sam had said he'd meet her on the interstate on the other side of it. She dipped her headlights and drove slowly through the town, not wanting to attract any attention. She pulled onto the side of the road to wait for Sam. Ohio was closer to Indiana the way she drove. After about twenty minutes, headlights flashed up behind her. She sat up in her car, to see an unfamiliar one coming up behind her. She tried not to get her hopes up, but they rose inexplicably. The car pulled up behind her, and she climbed out. She would check who it was even if it wasn't Sam.

A tall, loping figure climbed out and Adriana ran forward in relief.

"Sammmy, Sammy, Sammy!" she yelled, jumping into his arms.

"Hey Drie," he said, grinning at her.

"So. Everytime we say it can't be six years. It never is. It's been, what, three months?" she asked, smirking. "You just can't keep away from me." Sam laughed.

"Of course not," he responded. "Sorry to be ungentlemanly, but we'll have to leave the reunion till later. We gotta save Dean and Thena." Adriana nodded, and grinned, pulling out her pink gun.

"What are we dealing with?" she asked, checking it was loaded.

"Pagan god, it needs human sacrifices."

"Let me guess: a man and a woman?" she asked and Sam nodded. "Doesn't it know that Dean's a girl?" she joked, grinning wickedly.

"Obviously not," Sam replied as they moved into the orchard. Their guns were both up and they were alert for any movement.

Adriana held a hand out to Sam, stopping him. She had heard a voice. "You don't have a plan, do you?" She heard Athena say.

"I'm workin' on it!" Dean exclaimed, a little annoyed he was having to explain himself again, even though he knew he didn't have a plan at all. "Can you see?" He asked her.

"What?"

"Is he moving yet?" Dean asked.

Adriana glanced at Sam before looking around the area, but nothing seemed out of place. She shivered a bit and moved closer to Sam. This place was creepy though. Sam motioned to Adriana to follow him and walk in the direction of Dean and Athena's voice. They both emerged through the bushes to see Dean and Athena relax visibly. Obviously they had thought something was coming to get them. Sam pulled out his pocket knife and cut Dean's ropes before turning to cut Athena's, but Adriana had used her own knife to cut the dark-haired girl free.

Dean rubbed his wrists where the ropes had held him. "I take everything back I said, man am I glad to see you," He grinned as he stood up, shaking some dirt off of him. That's when he realized there was a fourth person in their group. "Drie, you came, too?" He asked.

She nodded. "I felt bad for your sorry ass," She told him teasingly.

He turned to Sam. "How'd you get here?"

Sam glanced down at the ground sheepishly. "I, uh, stole a car."

Dean grinned. "That's my boy!"

"I hate to ruin this moment but we kinda gotta get out of here before we become chew toys for the scarecrow," Athena stated.

Dean nodded. "Keep an eye on that scarecrow," He told Sam. "He could come alive at any minute."

"What scarecrow?" Adriana asked as she glanced at Dean over her shoulder. She was facing away from him, her flashlight shining out into the darkness trying to see anything that might try to attack them.

Dean's head whipped up at her question. The scarecrow was gone and it was already on the move; it was already coming after them.

"We gotta find this tree," Athena said distractedly.

"What tree?" Adriana asked.

"The sacred tree, the source of its power. We gotta find it and burn it," Athena told her.

"Nah in the morning. let's shag ass before Leather Face catches up," Dean said.

"Shag ass? Tasteful, Dean," Adriana muttered. They moved through the woods to a clearing to see the elders waiting for them, holding shotguns.

"This way," Dean muttered and they turned, to find their way blocked by more townspeople.

"Let us go," Adriana said, her jaw set out in determination. There was a ripple of surprise as the people saw two unfamiliar faces.

"It will be over quickly" Harvey said nervously. "You kids are meddlers and this is what you deserve. You have to-" His words were abruptly cut off as a sickle appeared through his stomach.

Adriana screamed as did Stacey but then almost instantly the scarecrow's arm appeared around Stacey's neck, dragging her backwards as it grabbed Harvey's ankle with its' sickle and dragged him off as well. Adriana took a step back bumping into Sam before quickly turning and burying her head in his chest. She killed supernatural creatures, but that didn't make it any easier on her to see someone else die.

Dean watched as the other townspeople who had been there scattered in fright. He shook his head. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Sam nodded as he followed after Dean and Athena, pulling Adriana along. A low growl came from behind them and all four stopped and turned around, but there was nothing there. They were safe because the scarecrow had taken its two victims. They were going to live. They all glanced around them just to be on the safe side before walking back to the cars they had all driven. Dean pulled out his Impala keys from his pocket before turning to the group. He glanced back through the trees making sure they were all safe.

"We'll come back tomorrow morning and burn the tree, for now let's head back to the motel and get some sleep, okay?" He said.

Sam nodded. "I hear ya."

Adriana also nodded as she pulled out her car keys. "Yeah. Sleep sounds great."

"You need a decent looking car, Drie," Dean told her as she realized she had driven here on her own.

"I happen to like my car," Adriana said, offended.

"It's so... preppy," Dean told her, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"Your point being?" she asked as she climbed into it grinning. Dean shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Girls will never understand cars," he said, starting the Impala as he pulled the door shut.

"That's an interesting generalisation," Athena said as they pulled off the side of the road and turned back.

"You don't really count as a girl, Thena" Dean said, grinning wickedly. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"So in order to be a girl, you have to wear pink, or like Cosmos or put out for every guy you see?" she asked jokingly, but there was some hurt in her voice. Dean sighed.

"Loosen up, Thene. It was a joke. Do you remember jokes? Funny things you laugh at?" Dean asked. She glared at him.

"Maybe if you made decent jokes, I'd laugh at them," she said haughtily, looking out of the window. It was about 4:00 AM. Dean rolled his eyes and Athena glanced at Adriana's car through the mirror on the side of the car. "Her car's not that bad, Dean. At least it's a sports car and not an actual girlie car like a Volkswagen Beetle," She stated and Dean rolled his eyes again.

"Cute, the girls are sticking together."

Athena laughed. "Of course... It's nice to have another girl back on the case. I don't have to deal with just you and Sam on my own."

"Don't lie and tell me you didn't like her being gone," Dean said as they pulled up into the parking lot of the motel.

Athena paused. Truth be told, she had enjoyed being the only girl on the cases. She enjoyed not having to compete with Adriana for the boys' attention. She liked having the guys value her opinion and ask for her help. With Adriana there, they rarely did that. They went to Adriana with all of their questions when they needed help. She liked having Dean joke with her and not the petite blonde. She liked having Dean focus on her and not Adriana. She shook her head. She just liked Dean.

But, she did miss the blonde girl. She made it easier. Adriana knew how to handle the brother's whenever they got in an argument. Athena figured that if Adriana had been there, she would have been able to stop the guys from splitting up. She did miss her, and if Athena was being honest with herself, she hoped that she stayed this time and didn't leave.

"Fine, I won't lie. I did enjoy her being gone, _but_I did still miss her," She told Dean as he turned off the car. Dean snorted in disbelief. "You don't believe me?" Athena asked. Dean glanced over at her, flicking his indicator on as he turned down a street.

"Are you sure this is the same person that had a screaming match with Drie, then proceeded to go and drink herself blind?" Dean asked.

"I think if you recall correctly, _you_were the one who drunk yourself blind. I just needed some air that night," she said, grinning. Dean swung into the motel.

"Right. I believe you," Dean said in a tone that implied he thought the exact opposite.

Sam parked his stolen car in between the Impala and the Mustang before walking to join the others. Dean unlocked the door, and it swung open.

"Dibs on the bed," Dean and Athena called and they each raced to their respective beds that they'd used the night before.

"Nice," Adriana said, dumping her stuff on the couch, before walking over to the fridge. It was full of energy drinks and M&Ms.

"What do you two survive on?" she asked as Sam walked in.

"Food," Dean stated and Adriana pulled out an energy drink and some candy.

"This isn't food," She told him shaking her head. "This is candy and death in a bottle," She added as she glanced at the energy drink in disgust before putting it back into the refrigerator.

Dean shrugged. "You don't like it, don't eat it. More for us," He said.

Adriana rolled her eyes as she leaned against the refrigerator. "Sam, you can have the couch if you want."

He shook his head. "Nah. I'll sleep on the floor this time."

Adriana nodded as she sat down on the couch. "So, what time we waking up?" She asked.

Dean glanced at the clock beside the bed. It read 4:30 am. "Five hours? 9:30. Then we'll head out and torch the tree then get out of here," He said rolling onto his stomach and falling asleep almost instantly.

Athena did the exact same thing. It had been a crazy last couple of days and they were both exhausted. Sam shook his head almost laughing at the two as he moved to sit beside Adriana on the couch. They stayed silent for a moment, neither knowing what to say about the situation they were in.

"Adrie... I want you to continue hunting with us... just until we found our dad," Sam said quietly, keeping his gaze low and on the ground, afraid to look over into the blonde's blue eyes.

"Sam, I..." Adriana began before trailing off. "Yes." Sam glanced up in surprise, and happiness.

"You'll come?" He was surprised. He had a whole speech planned out on how to get her to say. But, now he was needing it. She had said yes without needing to be persuaded or begged.

"Yeah. I'll come," she said, smiling at him. "On one condition," she continued. Sam nodded.

"Why'd you leave Dean, Sam?" she asked.

He sighed. "I told you our dad called..."

She nodded. "I know, but that's not enough for you and Dean to part ways..."

"Him and I didn't see eye to eye on everything," He explained. "He wanted to go on the case that dad had sent us on and I wanted to go look for dad."

Adriana nodded in understanding. "He wanted to play the good soldier?"

"Yeah, basically. So, he and I had an argument in which I walked. I hitch hiked to a bus station and was going to go to Cali when I called you."

Adriana nodded. "Right... So you didn't find your dad?"

Sam shook his head. "Nope. Never got that far."

Adriana took Sam's hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze. "I'm sorry. You'll find him though. At least you know he's still alive and he's out there."

Sam nodded, giving her a small smile. "Thanks, Drie."

"Anytime Sammy." She held his gaze before standing and stretching.

"Sleep, I think, is a good idea," she said, pulling off her shirt and grabbing her tank top.

"Indeed it is," Sam said, grabbing the cushions off the back of the couch and chucking them on the ground.

"Night, Adriana Brielle," Sam said teasingly using her middle name.

"Night Samuel Ryan," she said sleepily before drifting off to sleep.

_~Far Away~_

The next day the four of them awoke stiff. They drove out to the orchard in Dean's Impala. No one said much. They spread out methodically and soon found 'The Sacred Tree.' It had the same pattern Vince had had tattooed on his arm decorating the bottom of it. Sam carried over a container of petrol and drenched the tree in it. Dean lit the end of a stick and moved forward to light the tree.

"Wait," Athena said before he could set it alight. Dean stiffened, becoming instantly alert until she laughed.

"Can I do it?" she asked, her grey eyes wide. Dean rolled his eyes.

"No."

"Pretty, pretty please?" she wheedled Dean consented.

"You are so childish," he grumbled, passing her the stick. She grinned evilly, touching the flame to the petrol and the tree lit instantly.

"Not childish, a pyromaniac," she told him winking.

"Let's get outta here", Sam said and they all left the orchard. The drove back to the motel. They now had two cars but they were gonna swing through Toledo, Ohio to drop Adriana's off.

"I have an idea. Why doesn't Dean drive the Mustang and I'll drive the Impala."

"No," Dean said instantly as Sam chuckled.

"You gotta give her the fact that she doesn't give up easily," he said, grabbing his duffle bag. He was going to ride with Adriana, the stolen car abandoned in the parking lot.

"What's got you so cheery this morning?" Adriana asked Athena as she searched for the right key.

"Well. You know what you dubbed "death in a bottle?" I had about five of them this morning,"Athena told her, grinning. Dean put his face in his hands.

"Oh dear, Lord, please save me."

Adriana laughed. "And that is why she's riding with you," Adriana stated grinning.

Dean shook his head. "Awesome. So, Sam we dropping you off anywhere?"

Sam shook his head. "No. I think you're stuck with me for the time being."

Dean turned to Sam. "What made you change your mind?" He asked.

"I didn't. I still wanna find Dad. And you're still a pain in the ass. But, Jess and Mom—they're both gone. Dad is God knows where. You and me. We're all that's left with Athena and Adriana... So, if we're gonna see this through, we're gonna do it together," Sam explained.

Dean grinned. "Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful," He said, and Adriana giggled. He placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, but Sam hit it away.

"You should be kissing my ass, dude," Sam told Dean. "You were dead meat, dude."

"Yeah, right. I had a plan. I'd have gotten out," Dean told Sam as he climbed into the Impala.

"Right," Sam said shaking his head.

"I'll show you the plan sometime," Dean said, shutting the door and winding the window.

"And what are the chances that we're going to come across a Pagan Norse God in the form of a scarecrow to tie you up to prove yourself?" Sam asked logically. Dean shrugged.

"Could happen, man," he said before winding the window up and pulling away.

Sam laughed as he climbed into Adriana's candy red mustang. "Let's go." She nodded and drove away, following Dean and his car.

"So, do you think anything happened between the two of them while we weren't there?" Adriana asked Sam.

"Something happen like what?" Sam asked.

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Something happen like what almost happened between us in Lawrence," She said pointedly and glanced over at Sam and saw his cheeks flush a dull red as the memory came back to the front of his mind. She grinned at him.

"I'm not sure... I left remember?" Sam said, avoiding the point she'd made. "She does seem more relaxed with him. But that could just be Thene," he said shrugging.

"I'll have to ask. Last time I got such a good reaction out of the both of them," Adriana told him, smirking wickedly. Sam chuckled.

"Yes you did. Don't wind Dean up too much thought, 'cause he'll probably tickle you again," Sam said lightly. Adriana decided to come from another angle.

"Oh? And don't you like him tickling me? Would you rather it was you doing the tickling?" she asked playfully. The colour rose to Sam's cheeks again, and she sighed.

"Really Sam, lighten up a little," she said, rolling her eyes.

He glanced out the window and sighed. Things were definitely going to be interesting having Adriana around some more.

The rest of their car ride was silent as she drove and followed Dean. Once they got on the interstate, she pulled out in front of him and led the way back to her apartment after that. Her roommate had gotten back in, so when they pulled up, she came out to meet her.

"Are you insane?" Her roommate exclaimed. "You take off in the middle of the night without telling me. What's gotten into you?"

"Relax, Jenna. I just had to go help out some friends," Adriana told her calmly.

"Some friends, huh?" Jenna asked scathingly, peering around the petite blonde. Sam raised a hand in greeting.

"Hi, I'm Sam."

Dean and Athena walked up the path. Jenna's jaw dropped slightly when she saw Dean. "Who is that?" she asked Adriana, her tone lowered. Adriana glanced back, only to see Dean. She sighed, used to this reaction around him.

"A friend," was all she said. "Anyway, Jen, listen. I gotta take off for a few months. Family emergency. I have the rent for that time," Adriana said, walking past Jenna and grabbing a small bundle of cash. She handed them to her and Jenna took them, barely looking at them. She was still staring at Dean.

Athena had also seen Jenna's reaction to Dean and she was not happy. Dean grinned as he stepped up beside Adriana. "Well, hello. Drie, who's your friend?"

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Jenna, this is Dean. Dean, this is Jenna, who also has a boyfriend," She stated giving her roommate a pointed look. "I just came to pick up some clothes and then I'll be off," She told the curly redhead. Her hair was a dull red, almost orange and she had slight freckles than ran across the bridge of her nose and scattered on her cheeks. Her eyes were a very bright green.

Jenna nodded. "Right..." She tore her emerald orbs away Dean's and followed Adriana up the path towards their apartment.

"Did you hear that Dean. She _has_a boyfriend" Sam said as Dean watched her walk away.

"What's that?" Dean asked, having not been listening.

"Drie didn't introduce me," Athena said, pouting. "First Dean accuses me of not being a girl, then I'm like the invisible woman," she said, grinning and in a teasing tone.

"I didn't mean it like that, Thena and you know it," Dean said as he walked up the path.

"Doesn't mean I won't continue to use it against you."

Sam shook his head. "Do I even wanna know?" He asked them and Athena shook her head probably not. "Oh and for the record, the only person she introduced was Dean because he has to be introduced to every pretty girl."

Dean rolled his eyes. "It's how I work. I gotta get around somehow."

Sam sighed. "Get a grip."

"I have one. In any case, where we off to next?"

"Why don't we get a motel and we search the internet for a case?" He suggested and Dean nodded.

"That works. So, Adriana's really staying with us?" He asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"Yes she is," Sam said, a touch defensively. Dean nodded.

"Cool," was all he said. Sam looked at Athena to gauge her reaction but she seemed strangely unbothered about it, considering they'd been at each others throats for a good while. Adriana returned from the house, holding another bag and chatting excitedly to Jenna. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Everyone else seems to manage just fine with just one bag," he hissed. Sam grinned.

"Well see you in a couple of months, Drie?" Jenna asked, resting her arms on the fence and leaning forward, giving anyone's eyes access to her cleavage. Dean took advantage of this, something that didn't go unnoticed by Sam.

"Perhaps we will," Dean said, replying for Adriana. Jenna blushed slightly, and giggled.

"I hope so," she said quietly, and Dean smirked.

Adriana rolled her eyes and turned to face Jenna. "Tell Nic I said bye," She told her friend who sighed at the mention of her boyfriend's nickname.

"Okay, you've made your point," Jenna told her. "My mind is on Dominic, happy?"

Adriana grinned. "Very. I'll see ya around, Jen!" She said before tossing her bag into Dean's trunk before he closed it. Jenna waved her hand as the four got into Dean's car and he drove away.

"Are you determined to stop me from getting a hookup?" Dean asked Adriana who rolled her eyes at him.

"Shut up and drive, Dean," She stated pointing towards the road. Dean grinned, pressing his foot down on the gas and heading onto the interstate to get as far as they could towards California in search of their dad before nightfall. Once nightfall hit, they would stop and get a motel room.


	15. Keep Holding On

With Adriana back with them, they moved through jobs more quickly. More lives were saved. At some point, Athena and Dean started a competition on who could figure out what was going on the fastest, and both were severely miffed when either Sam or Adriana guessed it. This time they were hunting a Rawhead. They'd been hearing rumours from a nearby town about children going missing and had quickly figured out what was going on. A rawhead was one of the less complex supernatural creatures.

Dean pulled the Impala up to an old abandoned house. They all climbed out, and Dean opened the trunk, propping it up with the gun. They all selected their weapons. Dean picked up a taser.

"What do you got those amped up to?" Sam asked distractedly as he searched for another piece of equipment.

"Three thousand volts," Dean said happily. Sam stood up in surprise and smacked his head on the trunk. He put his hand to the back of it, wincing.

"Damn."

"Yeah, I want this Rawhead extra freakin' crispy." He turned to Adriana and Athena handing them tasers. "Now remember, you only get one shot with theses things," he said, closing the trunk. "So make it count." Adriana rolled her eyes.

"As if I'd miss, Dean," she said, pulling her jacket around her more tightly. The four of them moved into the house , covering each other. Dean shone a flashlight down a hallway. They came to the top of a stairwell and Dean moved down first.

"So like, this thing. It punishes bad children and rewards good children?" Athena asked. Sam nodded.

"That's the basis of it."

"You're saying Dean's going to be punished?" she asked, grinning as she shone her flashlight into an empty room.

"Slight problem: Dean's not a kid."

"Yes, but we've been over this. He has the maturity of one so-"

"Shh," Dean said, glaring at her. A noise came from a cupboard towards the back of a room. Adriana, who was behind Dean, swung her flashlight at it. "On three," Dean said quietly and she nodded. Dean cocked his shotgun and pointed it at the cupboard. "One, two three."

Adriana pulled the door open to reveal two small children huddled, their hands over their ears. When the little girl caught sight of Adriana, she screamed. "Is it still here?" Adriana asked gently, crouching down in front of the cupboard. The other child, a little boy, nodded fearfully.

"Let's go," Dean said, moving forward and taking the little boy's hand. Adriana helped the girl out of the cupboard. "Okay. Grab your sister's hand. Come on. We're gonna getcha out of it. Let's go. Let's go."

Sam shone his torch up the staircase. There was nothing there he could see. "All right, go," he said to Dean and Adriana, ushering them up the stairs.

Athena went to wait for him but he gestured for her to go up first. As Sam reached the top step, something reached through the top step and yanked his foot, tripping him. "Sam?" Athena asked, turning as he fell down the stairs.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed as he rushed around to the back of the stairs and shot his taser but there was no Rawhead there. He walked back around to the front of the stairs to see Adriana and Athena helping Sam up. "Sam, get 'em outta here!" He said, motioning to the little kids who were huddled together up at the top of the stairs. Sam turned to glance at the two kids and nodded his head at his older brother. Dean turned to walk away, but Sam stopped him.

"Take this!" Sam said as he tossed him his taser. Dean caught it and turned to walk around the back of the stairs as Sam turned to Adriana and Athena. "Come on. Let's get them out of here."

Adriana nodded as she rushed up to the top of the stairs to the waiting boy and girl. "Come on. We're gonna get you out of here. My name's Adriana," She said as she picked up the little girl and placed her on her hip as Athena took the little boy's hand as Sam appeared behind them and ushered them out of the house.

Once outside, Adriana set the little girl down on the hood of the Impala. She checked over her to make sure she was all right as Athena set the little boy down beside his sister. Sam came to stand beside them.

"Are they all right?" Sam asked, and Adriana nodded.

"From what I can tell," She said.

He nodded. "Call the police and have them come, I'm gonna go check on Dean," He said as he headed towards the house.

"Thena, I need you to call the police," Adriana said as she stood in front of the little girl and boy. Athena nodded and pulled out her cell phone, dialing the number for the police as Adriana smiled at the little kids. "Hey, sweetie. I need you to tell me your name," She said in a cute, child-like voice. Being short, she didn't have to bend down like others would to put her at their level, she was pretty much already there.

The little boy glanced at her. "My name's Matt..."

Adriana smiled at him. "Matt? That was my dad's name. Can you tell me your last name?"

"Laney," Matt said.

"Matt Laney?" She asked him, and he nodded. She turned to the little girl. "And what's your name sweetheart? I know you've been through a lot, but it'll help me if you tell me your name."

"Annabelle," The little girl whispered quietly, and Adriana smiled at her.

"Annabelle. That's a pretty name," She said. "For a pretty girl," She added, and Annabelle smiled slightly at her.

"The police said they'd be on their way," Athena said as she closed her phone and slid it into her pocket. She watched Adriana, and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god the blonde was here because Athena would not have been able to deal with the little kids. She probably would have made them cry and not make everything better. Kids weren't her thing.

_~Far Away~_

"Come on!" Dean called.

The rawhead jumped out and pushed him back into a puddle of water. Dean fell onto the ground, looking around desperately for his taser. He spotted it about a metre or so off. He gritted his teeth and rushed over to it, pointing it directly at the Rawhead. He pulled the trigger, sending three thousand volts of electricity into the rawhead. The electricity travelled down the creature, into the puddle of water it was standing in. It just so happened to be the same puddle of water Dean was standing in. Dean had no time to react as the electricity ran through his body, shocking him and he collapsed into the puddle.

"Dean?" Sam yelled, before rushing down the stairs. After a moment's hesitation outside, Athena followed him. Sam called again as he came round the corner to see his brother lying in a puddle, a dead rawhead beside him. "Dean, hey!" Sam yelled, rushing down to his brother. He shook him, trying to wake him up but nothing worked.

"Dean!" Athena screamed, her voice cracking. She ran down the stairs, kneeling in the puddle beside Sam. "Wake up!" she yelled at him and Sam moved his hand to Dean's neck, feeling his pulse. For a second, he felt nothing, and his heart dropped, before he felt a weak flicker. He sighed with relief.

"C'mon, we gotta get him to the hospital," he said, wrapping his arms around his brother's torso and lifting him up. Athena stood frozen for a second before helping Sam lift Dean onto his shoulders. He carried him up the stairs and outside where Adriana was still waiting with Matt and Annabelle.

Her eyes went wide as she saw Dean on Sam's shoulders. "What happened?" She asked, fear in her voice.

"I don't know," Sam said quietly as he slipped Dean off and onto the ground near the car. "Did you call the police?"

Athena nodded. "Yeah, they said they were on their way..." She said, not knowing what to do. Dean was always the one to bring them back to earth after a hunt and tell them what they needed to do. But he wasn't able to.

"We'll have to wait for them," The youngest Winchester said.

Sam pulled out his cell phone and dialed the emergency number and explained to them that they needed an ambulance out there quickly. After hanging up, he sat down on the ground, leaning against the Impala. Dean still hadn't woken up yet and he didn't know what was wrong with him. Adriana was trying not to show how freaked out or worried she was because she was taking care of Matt and Annabelle and Athena was just standing there, her mouth hanging open. After a while, the sound of sirens filled the air. Two police cars and an ambulance pulled up in front of the house. Adriana talked to the police about the children while Sam spoke urgently to the paramedic.

"What's wrong with him?" Sam asked as they placed him on a stretcher and moved him into the ambulance.

"We won't be able to tell until we get back to the hospital," one of the medics said apologetically.

Sam glanced at Athena: she looked shell shocked. Adriana finished talking to the police and bent down to hug Annabelle and Matt goodbye. Matt looked thoroughly excited at the prospect of being able to ride in a police car. The cars pulled away, and Adriana walked wearily over to Sam and Athena who were waiting near the ambulance. Sam glanced at the Impala.

"Someone's gonna need to take that" Sam said.

"Athena can," Adriana said, thinking she was doing the girl a favour. Athena looked taken aback.

"I can't... I mean, I don't..." she said, trailing off and Sam understood.

"Drie, you wanna drive it to the hospital? I'll ride in the ambulance with them and you can follow with Athena?" Sam suggested.

Adriana nodded her head as Sam handed her the keys before walking over to the Impala. Athena seemed like she was on autopilot. Her feet moved but she wasn't aware of what she was doing. She climbed into the car, and Adriana noticed she was very quiet. Athena was rarely quiet. She always had something witty or sarcastic to say. The blonde girl glanced over at her as she started the car and pulled away after the ambulance. She sighed, trying to find the words to get Athena to talk with her.

"He's gonna be okay, you know that, right?" Adriana said quietly. Athena nodded her head, but kept quiet, her gaze outside on the trees in the passing moonlight. "Dean always makes it through. He's like invincible. He'll be all right."

"I hope so," Athena whispered quietly and Adriana sighed.

The blonde was holding onto the thoughts that Dean was okay. She had seen him go through a lot worse when they were kids, there was no way a little bit of electricity could kill him. He was gonna be all right. She pushing out the negative thoughts and trying to focus on the positive. They had saved the little kids and killed the supernatural creature. That was good. The kids had been unharmed and were now going to their home, safe and sound. Everything was going to be perfectly fine.

When they pulled into the hospital, Sam was waiting for them in a room adjoining Dean's. He looked broken. Dean was almost everything to him. If he lost him, he would crack.

"Hey. The doctors are working on him now," he said quietly.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Adriana asked gently. Sam shook his head.

"No, I just want to stay here..." He trailed off, unable to find the words.

"Well what if I got you some coffee? You're not gonna do Dean any good if you die from exhaustion Sam," Adriana said softly but with a sharp edge in her voice.

"Yeah I guess not," Sam muttered and Adriana took this as her cue to leave. Athena sat down beside Sam, still not saying anything.

"Are you okay, Thena?" Sam asked.

She opened her mouth to speak before closing it and looking away. "I don't know what to say," she said after a few minutes. Sam looked at her. Her grey eyes looked hollow. "I think humans have this irrational trait. We all want to blame ourselves," she said, her voice more even. "Logically, there was nothing I could've done but if I had of insisted on staying back with him or something! I just don't know."

Sam knew exactly how she felt. "Survivor's guilt," he said quietly.

"Except Dean isn't dead. And he's not going to die. Because if he did-" Athena cut herself off and Sam gave her an odd look.

"Because if he did what?" He asked, pushing gently. Athena shook her head, unable to finish her thought. She just couldn't. This was the closest she had ever felt to someone and now she might be losing him. She couldn't voice that thought, not yet.

"Nothing," She said quietly.

Sam nodded, holding his head in his hands as Adriana came back. She handed a cup of coffee to Sam and the other one to Athena. Sam took a small sip of it before setting it down on the table in front of him in the waiting room. Athena didn't even bother taking a sip. She set it down untouched, unable to drink it. Adriana sat on the arm of the chair Sam was sitting in and placed a hand on his back comfortingly. Athena glanced over at the movement and sighed. Sam had Adriana during this difficult time for him, but she had no one. The person she _could've_had was the one they were all worried about.

"He's gonna be okay," Adriana said quietly, rubbing Sam's back.

She glanced at Athena, letting her know that the words were comfort for her as well. Adriana rarely had a level head, but growing up with Sam and Dean, she was always the one to comfort the other if they needed it. That's the role she was playing now. It didn't do to have all three of them worrying and freaking out, so she took it upon herself to be the one to keep them encouraged.

"I know he is," Sam said quietly. "Because if he isn't, I'll find a way to save him. Because he'd do the same for me."

The door into their room swung open and a nurse holding a clipboard walked in. "You're the patient's brother, I assume?" she asked Sam. He nodded and she peered around him.

"And what relation are these two to him?" she asked.

"This is our little sister," he said putting his hands on Adriana's shoulders as he lied fluidly. The nurse nodded. "And that's our cousin," he said, gesturing to Athena.

"Thank you. If you'd like to come through now, the patient is awake."

"Dean's awake?" Athena asked, standing instantly.

The nurse nodded her head then shrugged. "Sorta. He's under some drugs right now. We have to finish up a few more tests but you can see him while we wait for the doctor," She told her and

Athena glanced at Sam who had hopped up quickly and followed the nurse down the hall and into the room where Dean was staying. He was lying on the bed and he looked absolutely awful. The television was playing in the background, but he didn't seem to be watching it. He had a sorta faraway look in his eyes, probably from all the tests they had been running.

"Dean, hey..." Sam said quietly as he walked in and sat beside his older brother in a chair beside the bed. Dean turned and looked at his little brother.

"Hey Sammy," he said wearily. It scared Sam to see Dean so helpless. He smiled past Sam to Adriana. "Hey, Drie. Those kids all right?" he asked and Adriana nodded. He lay back on the pillow.

"Hi Dean," Athena said quietly. He had his eyes closed but he smirked slightly.

"You were right," he said.

"Dean must be sick if he's admitting Athena's right," Adriana muttered.

"About what?" Athena asked, confused.

"Bad kids to get punished," he said, winking at her. She looked shocked.

"I didn't mean-"

Dean held up a hand. "Don't worry about it. So, when am I getting out of here?" He asked and Sam sighed.

"We don't know. We haven't seen the doctor yet. The nurse said they needed to run a few more tests to make sure you were okay," He explained.

Dean nodded and laid his head back against the pillow. "Great. More tests. Awesome."

The door to the room opened and a middle-aged man walked in. He had really dark skin and was slightly balding. "Hello. I'm doctor Madden. You must be-"

"Sam Winchester, Dean's brother," Sam said quickly standing up and shaking the doctor's hand. "This is our sister, Adriana and our cousin, Athena." Sam motioned to each of the girls and the doctor shook their hands as well.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Doctor Madden asked as he pulled out his clipboard to make a few notes on whatever Sam told him.

"Um, he was fixing an appliance for us and it wasn't turned off... it electrocuted him," Sam said coming up with the best lie he could at the given moment because his mind was clouded and he wasn't able to think very well.

The doctor nodded. "All right. Well, we're gonna run a few tests to make sure everything's all right with him, and we'll get back to you, okay? Just wait out in the waiting room and the nurse at the front desk will get all your insurance information." He said.

Sam nodded as he glanced at Dean before leading the two girls out of the room and back out into the waiting room. There were two police officers waiting for them to ask a few questions about the two kids. He found a lady at the desk and Sam gave her all of Dean's information. She typed it into the computer before glancing up at him.

"Sir, I'm so sorry to ask-there doesn't seem to be any insurance on file," She said apologetically. Sam nodded as he pulled out his wallet before handing her a credit card so he could make the payments for everything. "Okay, Mr. Burkovitz," She said smiling before turning back to the computer as Sam turned to the police officers, one had a hat and the other was without.

"Look, we can finish this up later?" The police officer with the hat said.

Sam shook his head. "No, no it's okay," He said. Adriana stood close to Sam for moral support and comfort while Athena stayed off in the background, not knowing what to do or say. Seeing Dean had made things worse. He had looked awful in the hospital bed. He literally looked like death. He had looked so sick and so pale.

"So, can you tell us what happened?" The police officer asked.

"We were just taking a shortcut through the neighborhood and, um, windows were rolled down. We heard some screaming when we drove past the house. And, we stopped; ran in," Sam explained to them.

"You found the kids in the basement?" The police officer asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah." He glanced behind the officers and saw the doctor walking back down the hallway out of Dean's room. "Excuse me," He said before moving past the police officers who nodded.

"Sure, thanks for your help," They called out.

"Hey, doc is he-?" Sam let the thought trail off as the two girls stood beside him.

"He's resting," Doctor Madden said. "The electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid. His heart it's damaged."

Sam gave the doctor and questioning look. "How damaged?"

"We've done all we can. We can, uh, try to keep him comfortable at this point, but I give him a couple weeks at most, maybe a month," He said and Adriana gasped beside him. Dean wasn't going to make it. She covered her mouth as she tried to hide another gasp from escaping as Athena tensed beside Sam who shook his head, not believing it.

"No, no there's gotta be something you can do, some kind of treatment?" Sam asked, pushing the subject. He couldn't just die.

"There's gotta be something," Adriana echoed, but the doctor shook his head.

"I can't work miracles. I really am sorry," he told them before walking away to give them some space. Sam had a grim expression on his face, and Adriana had her lips pressed together, trying not to cry.

"He can't just... die. That's not fair," she said angrily, stomping her foot. Sam laughed without emotion. Once upon a time, Dean or Athena would have made a joke. But now Dean was lying in a hospital bed, dying, and Athena was frozen in shock.

Sam silently led the way down the hallway towards Dean's room. As they entered, Sam stayed close to the door, leaning against the frame, almost like if he kept his distance this would all just be a bad dream and he could wake up and Dean would be healthy and laughing again. Dean glanced up at them and grinned. He was flipping through the television that was held up above the hospital bed. He had the remote in his hand, clearly not finding anything he thought was worthy of watching.

"You ever actually watch Daytime TV? It's terrible," Dean said in an attempt at a joke.

Sam sighed, glancing down. "I talked to your doctor," He said his voice grim.

"That fabric softener teddy bear?" Dean asked, and Sam nodded. "I wanna hunt that little bitch down," He stated and Adriana cracked a smile, but it quickly disappeared. She just couldn't find the humor in his usual jokes anymore.

"Dean," Sam spoke, trying to show his older brother the direness of the situation he was in.

Dean rolled his eyes and let the remote fall onto his bed. "Yeah. All right, well, looks like you guys are gonna have to leave town without me."

"What?" Adriana stood up quickly shaking her head. "No way!"

Sam glanced at Adriana before turning his gaze back onto Dean. "What are you talking about? I'm not gonna leave you."

Dean ignored him. "Hey, you better take care of that car, or I swear I'll haunt your ass," He said and Adriana gave a quiet, choked laugh then started to cry. Athena couldn't even begin to form words to express how she felt.

"I don't think that's funny," Sam said quietly as he moved over to place a hand on Adriana's shoulder.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Ah, come on, it's a little funny. Look, Sammy, what can I say, man? It's a dangerous gig, and I drew the short straw. That's it, end of story."

"Don't talk like that, all right?" Sam said trying to sound harsh, but his voice just came out quiet and broken. "We still have options."

"What options? You got burial or cremation," Dean stated and watched as all three of their faces twisted into a pained expression. "I know it's not easy, but I'm gonna die. And you can't stop it," He told them softly.

"Watch me," Sam said quietly. Dean groaned and pulled a pillow over his face.

"I don't want to watch you," he said, his voice muffled by the pillows. "I'm going to sleep now," he announced. Sam sighed and walked out of the room. After a moment, Adriana followed him, pausing at the door. Athena stood up, hesitating.

"If you die, Dean Winchester, I'm going to kill you," Adriana declared.

"That's an oxymoron, Drie," he muttered from under the pillow. Athena walked out of the room.

"So now what?" Athena heard Adriana ask Sam. She was just around the corner from them.

"We're gonna get a motel near here. I'm not gonna let him just give up," Sam said determinedly. Adriana rested a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Of course you're not," she said softly. Athena came around the corner.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked her gently and she nodded.

Adriana narrowed her eyes at the older girl, but followed Sam down to the Impala. They checked into a motel about five minutes from the hospital. He immediately hauled his duffel bag out of the car, spreading papers of various myths across one of the beds.

"I think I might go outside," she said quietly, and walked out onto the balcony thinking about everything.

Three days passed and Sam stayed sitting on his bed as if he was frozen and couldn't move. He kept the books about myths spread out around him at all times.

How could one hunt have gone so wrong? Sam just didn't understand. He sighed as he turned back to all the many books laid out on the desk. There had to be something to help. He examined each of the books, looking for something when Adriana walked into the motel room and tossed the Impala keys onto a table beside the door. She held up a few bags and set them down as well. She had bought food, but no one was really hungry. No one would be able to eat knowing Dean was dying.

"Sam, you look terrible," Adriana commented as she sat beside him on the bed. "Have you slept at all?" She asked. None of them had gotten much sleep in the past few days, but Sam seemed to get less of it than the two girls.

"No..." he replied, distracted as he picked up and skimming it. Adriana sighed.

"Seriously Sam? You're really not helping Dean at all," Adriana said.

"Neither are you," Sam snapped, and Adriana looked taken aback. Sam put his head in his hands.

"Sorry, Drie. I guess I'm a little on edge."

"Which is understandable but there's no need to snap at the people who care," she said, hurt entering her tone. The bathroom door swung open and Athena walked out, her hair wet and trailing down her back.

"Athena, can I ask you something?" Adriana asked sharply. Athena glanced up, her grey eyes wary before she nodded. "Why do you care?" Adriana asked in the same tone. "You've known Dean six months? And you're acting as if your closest friend is dying." Sam looked over at Adriana disapprovingly while Athena stood in shock.

"What do you mean 'why do I care'? I have to have known him my whole life like you in order to be upset that he's dying?" She snapped back at the blonde. She knew Adriana was hurting, but taking it out on those who were hurting as well wasn't a way to fix things. It was just going to make everything worse.

"No, but you don't have to act like your best friend is dying! You barely know him!" Adriana snapped and Sam reached out, grabbing the blonde's wrist and pulled her closer to him sitting on the bed.

"Drie, stop," He whispered to her. He knew this was how she dealt with things that were out of her control. She snapped and lashed out at others around her because it made her feel like she was back in control. He had been living with her for far too long not to know how she dealt with things. She seemed calm and collected but would lose it at the last second, snapping. "It's not worth it. Athena's a friend of his just like you are. No, she hasn't grown up with him and had him always there for her, but she's still a friend. She can still hurt."

Adriana glanced at Sam, his words getting through to her. Her hard expression fell and was replaced by a broken, lost one. Her face crumpled as her lower lip quivered. She tried to fight the tears that tried to fall, but it was useless. Sam watched as one tear fell then another, a domino effect happening. He pulled her down onto the bed beside him and gathered her up into his arms, letting her cry in his chest.

Athena glared before walking out of the motel room, slamming the door behind her. Adriana was right. She didn't have a claim to Dean. She hadn't been honest with anyone how she felt about him, not even herself and all her emotions were being brought to the surface now he was dying. To him, she'd be just another hunter. To her, he was Dean Winchester, the guy who'd taken her out of a mundane life and introduced her to the supernatural. She kicked at the ground, trying not to cry. Seeing Adriana break down made it worse. Athena didn't know what to do. She couldn't be herself and act normal.

Inside the motel room, Sam was trying to calm Adriana down but the more he spoke, the harder she cried. She had been holding it all in for three days, trying to be strong and keep everyone together but fighting with Athena had been the last straw. She lost it and broke down. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Sam finally realized nothing he said was going to help, so he stuck to staying silent. He rested a hand on her back and drew small circles, trying to soothe her. Every once in awhile he whisper something quietly to her trying to calm her down.

She balled his shirt up into her fists, crying more. She couldn't lose Dean. She just couldn't. He was like her older brother. He had always been there when she needed him to be. He had always joked around with her and made hunting easier. He was always someone she had seen as invincible. If they lost him that then meant they could lose anyone. Sam could feel tiny wet spots soaking through his shirt and touching his skin where her tear drops fell.

"We're gonna find a way to help him," He whispered to her softly his voice breaking a bit.

"I know we will but," Adriana began shakily. "It's Dean," she said, tears streaming down her face.

"Exactly. Because it's Dean, he'll be okay." The door opened again and Athena walked in, her eyes red. Adriana kept her head buried in Sam's chest, feeling guilty for her earlier words. Sam sighed. He didn't know if he could deal with two crying girls.

"I hope you'd be this upset if I was dying," Sam said lightly. Adriana cried harder, sobbing helplessly. Sam rubbed her back again, making soothing noises. After a while she eventually quieted and stopped crying, lifting her head. Her blue eyes were watery and red, her makeup was smudged and her hair tangled. This was Adriana at her most vulnerable. Yet Sam thought she looked beautiful.

"Don't even joke like that," She whispered to him her voice broken.

Sam cracked a small smile at her. "I need your help, Adrie," He said using the nickname he used to call her when they were little kids. Adriana nodded her head. "I need you to go through my dad's journal and write down any names and numbers of his contracts that are in there. I'm gonna call them and see if any of them know of something that can help us," He explained.

Adriana nodded her head, but made no indication she wanted to move. She felt safe here in Sam's arms and after everything that had happened in the past few days with Dean, all she wanted was to feel safe. She scooted closer to Sam who wrapped an arm around her, knowing how she felt. But, they needed to get moving in order to help Dean. As much as he didn't want to move from their positions, his older brother needed him. He kissed her forehead and slowly stood up away from Adriana as he grabbed the journal and handed it to her.

She began to flip through the pages and write down names and numbers of John Winchester's contacts she found. Sam sat beside her on the bed still pouring through the books about myths and everything he thought that could help. Most of them were from the local library up the street, but some were college text books he'd brought with him from Stanford. Athena sat at a table in front of the two, not knowing what to do or how to help.

"What can I do?" she asked in a low voice. Sam glanced up, placing his finger on the book to keep where he was up to.

"I don't know, Thene," he said honestly, and her face dropped. She needed to do something. Anything to stop her thinking. "Do you want to give me a hand?" he asked after a minute, and Athena practically collapsed into a chair in front of him. He pushed a stack of books towards her and she opened the first, quickly and efficiently reading it.

"I didn't know demons were actually real," she commented after a while. Sam glanced up. There was some of the old Athena, the one who was always craving new information.

"They are. And they actually have to be exercised too. Dean and I performed an exorcism on a plane oncem" Sam said, laughing at the memory.

"Really? I thought Dean hated flying?" Athena asked.

"That's why it was funny" Sam told her just as Adriana finished up with the contacts. She pulled out a cellphone and dialed the first number. Sam wasn't paying attention to her conversation with the other hunter until her last phrase rang through his ears.

"Yes, I'm a female hunter. Thank you for saying I sound hot and no I do not wish to meet up with you and show you a good time. I am not a prostitute, thank you and goodnight." She hung up the phone and turned to Sam. "Well, Peter Davies is of no help to us," She said.

"Except wanting to get in your pants," Athena mumbled, and Adriana nodded.

"Yeah, except for that. He didn't know of anything that could help us." She continued to dial numbers. "How can someone _sound_hot?" she grumbled as she turned to the next one. Sam grinned.

"You _do_sound pretty hot," he offered. "Cause you're all... flirty on the phone," Sam said, blushing a little. Adriana raised her eyebrows but continued to work. She reached the end of the list, tossing it down in frustration.

"Twenty-seven hunters, no one has any idea how to help him and I've been invited on six dates." Athena closed another book, rubbing her eyes wearily.

"I might sleep. Or attempt to anyway," she said darkly. Sam nodded, closing his own book.

"That's a good idea," he said.

"Oh so when _I_suggest it's okay to sleep, you ignore me. But when Athena says it..." Adriana muttered. Sam smiled at her, shaking his head.

"I lie," Athena announced. "I'm going outside for a minute." Adriana rolled her eyes as she opened the door, her hair blowing in the night breeze.

"I'm going to have a shower," Adriana said, sailing across the room. They all felt better now that they were doing _something_even if they weren't getting good results. Sam watched her go before dialing a number. The phone reached voicemail.

_"This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean. 866-907-3235. He can help."_Sam laughed without emotion before speaking into the receiver.

"Hey, dad. It's me, Sam. Uh, probably won't even get this, but uh, it's Dean. He's sick and, uh, doctors said there's nothing they can do. Um, but uh, they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry cause I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him better. All right, just wanted you to know."

He sighed, letting the phone fall from his hands. Why was this so hard? After a few minutes, the phone rang again and there was a man on the other line. Someone Adriana had already called. His name was Joshua Killis, and he seemed to have found something to help. He began to tell Sam about a place in Nebraska that wasn't too far from where they were. He explained how he worked and Sam nodded, thankful for a lead. He hung up the phone just as Adriana walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her having clearly just stepped out of the shower.

She gave Sam a curious look. "You okay?" She asked him and he nodded his head. He glanced up and blushed slightly before quickly averting his gaze from the blonde girl.

"Yeah. I think I might have found something that can help us," He said, focusing his attention on the books on the bed instead of the girl wrapped only in a towel.

"Really?" she asked eagerly, crossing the room and sitting right beside him. Sam took a deep breath, concentrating on what he was going to say. It was hard when he could see Adriana's hair curling down her back as it dried and her curves were very apparent through the thin towel.

"Joshua Killis. He found a place in Nebraska. It's a faith healer guy but apparently he actually works." Adriana was as skeptical as Sam expected her to be.

"A _faith _healer? Come on, Sam. They're just trying to rip people off."

"Yeah but Killis seemed to believe he actually heals people. It's worth checking out, Drie. Desperate times..."

"Call for desperate measures," she finished for him, pulling a face. Sam looked away from her to see Dean standing in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I checked myself out," Dean said smugly, walking over to the fridge and grabbing out a beer. Adriana's jaw dropped.

"Are you crazy?" she asked. Dean shrugged.

"I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot," he said petulantly. Sam stood up, his fists clenched.

"You know, this whole 'I laugh in the face of death thing' it's crap. I can see right through it." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Where's Thena?" he asked, picking up a book that lay open on the table. "And have you even slept? You look worse than me," he asked, taking a closer look at his brother.

"She's outside," he said, jabbing his head in the direction of the balcony. "I've been scouring the Internet for the last three days. Yeah, calling every contact in dad's journal."

"For what?" Dean asked, opening the beer and taking a swig.

Sam stared at his brother like he was crazy. "What do you mean 'for what'? For a way to help you," He said before sitting on the bed beside Adriana again. "One of dad's friends, this Joshua guy, called us back. Told me about a guy in Nebraska, a specialist."

Dean rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna let me die in peace, are you?" He questioned sarcastically and Sam smirked a little.

"I'm not gonna let you die. Period." Sam gave Dean a hard look, letting him know he was serious. "We're going," He added and Dean groaned in annoyance as Adriana tackled him in a hug, happy to have him back. He laughed as she pulled away and gave her a wink.

"I came back at the right time," He said nodding his head at her choice of clothing and Adriana rolled her eyes.

"I took a shower and I left my clothes out here, stop being a pig," She stated, glad to see he was better enough to have his usual banter with her.

"I'm just saying, if this is the kind of greeting I get everytime I come back from the hospital, I will definitely be visiting that place more often," He said and Adriana rolled her eyes and made a noise of disgust at him before grabbing her clothes out of her bag and heading to change into her clothes. "No, please! Don't change on my account!" Dean called after her teasingly as the bathroom door slammed shut.

Dean thought himself hilarious while Sam glared at his brother. Athena still hadn't noticed his arrival. "Sam, if you're not going to enjoy the view, I might as well," Dean said pointedly before crossing the room and pulling open the balcony door. Athena didn't turn, thinking it was either Sam or Adriana.

"Don't jump," he said cheerily, and Athena turned, surprised.

When she saw Dean her mouth dropped open and she stepped forward hugging him. Dean stiffened for a moment. While physical contact between him and Adriana was as common as vengeful spirits, him and Athena didn't tend to have the hugging type of relationship. He wasn't actually sure what type of relationship he had with the girl but he hugged her back.

"Hey Thene," he said quietly. She pulled away, leaning against the railing.

"Why are you out of hospital?" she asked. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Is that all the greeting a guy can get these days?"

She cracked a smile. "Well, if you've been in the hospital for a few days, yeah."

Dean nodded. "Well, I checked myself out. Didn't wanna stay in the hospital," He said shrugging like it wasn't a big deal.

Truth be told, he was still in pain but not as much. And, if he was going to die he wanted it to be around his friends. He wanted to spend as much time with them as he possibly could. He wanted to know they were all there and that they were all well looked after. He wanted to make sure they were going to be all right after he was gone. It helped put him at ease knowing he could watch them for as long as he could.

"You probably should have stayed," She said quietly.

"Did you hear the news that Sam found a guy to help me that lives in Nebraska?" Dean asked, ignoring her question.

Athena shook her head. "No... I've kinda kept my distance from the two," She said quietly shrugging. "Ya know, I didn't wanna be a third wheel between them," She added, trying to make a joke about it but her eyes said differently.

"I know what you mean," Dean said, laughing. The air on the balcony seemed to contract around the two of them.

"We should probably go inside," Athena said tearing her eyes off him. He nodded and followed her in. Adriana had since put some clothes on and was sitting beside Sam, reading a map.

"It'll take us about 50 minutes to get to this place," he said without looking up when they walked in. "If we leave now, we can get a motel near the area and be good to go for the morning," He said and Dean groaned.

"Can't we just leave in the morning and get there on time?" Dean questioned.

Sam shook his head. "No. I want to make sure we get there before it starts," He told Dean. "You can sleep in the car and at the motel once we get there."

Dean sighed. "Fine." He stood up and Adriana moved to his side to help him stand. He leaned against her as Sam grabbed the keys.

"I'll grab the bags," Athena stated as Sam put his books back into a bag and the dark-haired girl grab their clothes bags from out of a corner of the room.

"I can walk on my own, ya know," Dean told Adriana but she shrugged winking at him.

"Maybe I like being close to you," She teased him.

"Everyone likes being close to me," Dean said back, and Adriana rolled her eyes.

"You're so modest, Dean," she said, walking out of the room with him beside her.

"If I wasn't so modest, I'd be perfect," Dean quipped, and Adriana snorted. They heard a noise but they'd moved too far down the hallway to see what'd happened.

Athena slung the bags over her shoulders and turned back. Sam was sweeping the papers into a pile, the Impala keys dangling from his other hand. Athena smirked and crossed the room, pulling them off his finger.

"I'm driving," she announced. Sam narrowed his eyes.

"Athena. The keys now please" he said, extending his hand.

Athena couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She went to drop the keys into his palm but instead tossed them over his head. She darted around him, intending to catch them on the other side, but Sam stuck his foot out, tripping them both up and causing the noise Adriana had heard. They ended up on the floor, Sam kind of sprawled across Athena and the keys in his hand, dangling over her face. She glared at him and he grinned back.

"I know you like my brother," he said seriously, his smile fading. Athena rolled her eyes.

"That's debatable," she said, smirking. Sam shook his head.

"No, Thene. I know you _like _my brother." The smirk slid off her face as Sam pulled himself up. He offered her his hand but she ignored it, her face hardening as she stood.

"We should go," she said, picking up the bags she'd dropped. Sam nodded and grabbed the research bag, following her out of the room.

Sam sighed as they made it to the Impala where Dean was leaning against the side door, Adriana leaning against his side trying to hide from the cold wind that was blowing through. Sam walked over to the driver side and opened the car then unlocked it for everyone else to get in. Dean got into the passenger's side and the two girls got into the back. He started up the Impala and pull out of the motel parking lot heading towards Reverend Roy Le Grange's church to see if they could get Dean any help.


	16. Meant To Live

Sam Winchester drove the Impala about ten minutes from their motel room to the location of Roy Le Grange's church. He hadn't told Dean all of the details concerning who this person was because if Dean knew, he would've never let Sam bring him. Adriana was skeptical as well, but she was willing to at least try it if it meant there was a chance in saving Dean. Sam hadn't told Athena either because he was afraid she might tell Dean. The dark-haired girl liked Dean more than she let on and this was equally hard on her as it was on Sam and Adriana.

He pulled up into a large field where a white tent was set up. There was a sign outside the tent that read: "Church of Roy Le Grange -Faith Healer-Witness the Miracle!" Sam glanced at Dean in the passenger side of the car and could see his face scrunch of in confusion as to where they were. Sam could see the wheels turning in his head, and it finally clicked on who this "specialist" was. He turned off the car and quickly rushed out of the driver's side to go help Dean out of the car, but Dean shrugged him off.

"Man, you're a lying bastard," Dean said darkly to Sam as Adriana and Athena got out of the car as well. "I thought you said we were going to see a doctor," He said, and Sam sighed as the doors closed.

"I believe I said a specialist," Sam quickly said. "Look, Dean, this guy's supposed to be the real deal," He added trying to convince Dean that this was a good idea. Dean glared at his brother, and Adriana stepped up to Dean.

"Just try it, please? Humour him?" she asked, letting Dean know she was skeptical as well. He sighed before nodding. Athena wrinkled her nose.

"A faith healer? What, like God comes down to heal you?" she asked, also sounding unsure.

"That is, if you believe in God," Dean muttered.

"Which I don't," she murmured to him.

"I take it you didn't know about... this?" he asked, gesturing around his surroundings to show he still wasn't happy about this. They walked past a man who was handing out flyers and loudly protesting against Reverend Le Grange and what he did.

"Le Grange is a fraud!"

"I take it he's not one of the flock?" Dean asked sarcastically.

Sam nodded and shrugged. "Well, when people see something they can't explain there's controversy," He explained and Dean shot him a glare.

"I mean, come on, Sam! A faith healer!" Dean exclaimed.

"Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Dean," Sam said, walking to the entrance of the tent.

"You know what I got faith in? Reality. Knowing what's really going on," Dean told Sam.

Sam shook his head. "How can you be a skeptic with the things we've seen everyday?" Sam asked Dean, not sure how it could be possible.

Dean waved his hands at his little brother as if he had just proved his point. "Exactly! We've seen them! We know they're real!"

"But if you know evil's out there how could you not good's out there too?" Sam asked, trying to make a point to his older brother who was being hard and stubborn in his ways.

"Because I've seen what evil does to good people," Dean replied snappily.

"Maybe God works in mysterious ways," A blonde girl said as she walked up to the four.

She had a very baby voice that rivalled Adriana's at times when the girl was pouting, but unlike Adriana's, this girl's was verging on the tone of annoying. She smiled, but it seemed tight. Her face was pretty but looked very aged, like she was battling something and she was losing the fight. She was probably twenty-six, but appeared about twenty-nine or thirty to the group. She was carrying an umbrella to shield herself from the light raindrops.

Dean smirked at the girl. "Maybe he does. I think he just turned me around on the subject."

The girl smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm sure," She said, clearly seeing through his pick-up line. Athena rolled her eyes, and felt her blood boil.

"I'm Dean, this is my brother Sam and this Adriana and Athena," Dean said introducing them all, his gaze never leaving the girl in front of him.

She smiled. "Layla. So, if you're not a believer then why are you here?"

Dean smirked, motioning to Sam. "Well, apparently my brother here believes enough for the both of us," He told her, and she smiled, laughing a bit as an older woman walked up, many resemblances to the blonde girl.

"Come on Layla, it's about to start," She told her and led the blonde girl inside.

Dean smirked as he watched her leave. "Well, I bet you she can work in some mysterious ways," He said, and Sam laughed at his brother's ability to only be thinking about girls even when he could possibly be dying as he walked through the entrance to the tent that held a sign above it reading: WELCOME ALL FAITHS:TRUE BELIEVERS REVIVAL. There were about 50 people seated in front of a stage. Athena and Adriana followed them in, twin expressions on their faces. Sam turned and grinned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. We will be starting in a few moments," A man said.

"Yeah and peace and love and trust all over," Dean muttered as Sam saw a line of video cameras at the back of the tent. Dean tried to slide into a seat near the back but Sam grabbed his arm.

"Come on," he said, moving down the aisle. Dean glanced back at the seat at the back, looking wistful.

"What are you doing? Let's sit here?" he muttered.

"You're sitting up the front," Sam insisted.

"What? Why?" Dean asked, trying to turn back. Adriana glared at him.

"I don't want to be here anymore than you do" she hissed. "But just do what he says, please," she pleaded, giving him a slight puppy pout. Dean turned back to Sam.

"Come on, Sam," he tried one more time.

"You all right?" He asked, grinning slightly. He rested his hand on his shoulder.

"This is ridiculous. I'm good," he said, pushing his brother's hand off his shoulder. "Dude, get off me." Sam spotted a row of seats up the front.

"Perfect."

"Yeah. Perfect," Dean muttered as he slid into a seat.

"You take the aisle," Sam said as he sat closer to the middle of the crowd, leaving the other seats open. A man walked out onto the stage. He was wearing glasses and holding a cane. He began to speak, his presence charismatic and commanding all the attention in the tent.

"Each morning my wife Sue-Ann reads me the news. It never seems good does it?" The audience let out a laugh. "Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral unspeakable act. But I say to you, God is watching. Huh? God rewards the good and He punishes the corrupt. It is the Lord who does the healing here, friends. The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me to see into people's hearts."

"Yeah, and into their wallets," Dean muttered and Adriana let out a small laugh. Reverend Roy le Grange, the man on the stage turned to him.

"You think so young man?"

"Sorry," Dean muttered when he realised half the tent was glaring at him.

"No, no. Just, watch what you say around a blind man, we got real good ears. What's your name, son?" le Grange asked. Dean cleared his throat self consciously.

"Uhh, Dean."

"Dean. I want you to come up here."

"Nah. No. It's okay," Dean said quickly.

'What are you doing?" Sam hissed at his brother, nudging him.

"Y-you've come here to get healed, haven't you?" le Grange asked, gesticulating on the first word.

"Well yeah but uh... maybe you should pick someone else," Dean offered uncomfortably. Reverend Roy le Grange shook his head.

"Oh no. I didn't. I didn't pick you, Dean. The Lord did."

"Get up there," Adriana whispered, grinning. Dean stood up and moved slowly to the stage, standing beside the blind man.

"Are you ready, Dean?" he asked, his voice low but urgent.

"Uh, look, no disrespect but I'm not exactly a believer", Dean said. Athena glanced around the tent. The older blonde woman they'd seen earlier was glaring at Dean.

"You will be, son. You will be. Pray with me friends," the Revered said, placing his hand on Dean's head. He raised the other hand to the top of the tent.

"All right now. All right now," he said, his hand rising further. Dean stumbled and fell to his knees, his vision going blurry. Sam glanced at Adriana with a worried expression on his face. Athena watched the whole exchange with a fascinated expression. "All right now," Reverend Roy said one more time and Dean collapsed.

"Dean!" Sam said, standing up and rushing to his brother's side. Adriana went to start after him. The audience began clapping and cheering.

"Say something, Dean," Sam said, not believing he was by his brother's side once again, trying to get him to wake up. Dean sat up gasping before blacking out.

"Sam, is he okay?" Adriana asked as she moved to stand beside Sam who was kneeling beside Dean. She had a worried expression on her.

"I don't... I don't know," Sam said quietly as the tent began to clear out, knowing there was usually only one healing a day. Reverend Le Grange turned to Sam and the others.

"He's all right."

"Take him to a hospital and have him checked out if you don't believe us," Reverend's wife, Sue-Ann, told Sam.

"What happened to him?" Adriana asked.

"He's blacked out, letting the healing take over," Sue-Ann explained to the doubtful blonde.

She could see that she was very skeptical about all of this and she didn't exactly like that. Doubters weren't exactly welcomed around here, but for now she'd let it go. Adriana glanced around and began to realize they were the only ones left in the tent. She turned back to the scene before her as Dean began to stir. She immediately dropped onto her knees beside Sam as Dean's eyes fluttered open.

He groaned. "Where am I? What happened?" He asked.

"How you feel?" Sam asked, ignoring the questions from his brother.

"My head hurts... but I feel..." He paused. He didn't feel like he was dying anymore. At all. He felt... _healed?_ He couldn't pick out a good word but that one seemed to fit perfectly no matter how odd it sounded. "Fine."

"You feel okay?" Adriana asked, and Dean nodded. She could notice that some of the color was returning to his cheeks, and he didn't seem to be as pale or weak as before.

"Yeah. I actually feel better than I did before this... happened," Dean said trailing off.

He looked around for the figure he'd seen but there was no sign of it. Sam knelt down to help him up and Dean stood, standing straight on his feet. Athena, who had watched the entire sequence with wide eyes had frozen in her seat. Dean looked at the Reverend suspiciously and his wife smiled sweetly beside him.

"You are welcome," Sue-Ann told him.

Dean nodded. "Thanks... I think..." He said, but he had this unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach that something wasn't right. He couldn't place his finger on it but he knew something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

"Come on," Sam said. "Let's go to the hospital and get you checked out to make sure you're okay," He said.

Dean nodded his head as Sam led the way out of the tent. The second they had passed the flaps that marked the entrance, Adriana jumped into Dean's arms wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug, thankful that he was all right. Dean hugged her back, squeezing her. When she pulled away her eyes were bright.

"You're like, invincible so I knew you couldn't die," she said in a very child-like voice, her bottom lip pouting a little. Dean laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Of course I'm invincible," he said, winking. She glared at him, tying her hair up neatly. When she climbed down from him, Sam hugged his brother. Dean pulled a face before hugging him back. Athena stood off to the side, watching the whole ordeal. Dean noticed and smirked.

"What, no hug from you?" he asked, and Athena stepped forward, blushing. Adriana's mouth fell open. Athena hardly ever blushed. She hesitantly and almost nervously wrapped her arms around Dean, hugging him. She pulled away within seconds though.

"Come on," Sam said smiling slightly at the hug between the two. He had noticed Dean's face soften a bit when Athena had hugged him, something he had rarely ever did. It was almost like he was glad she had.

Dean nodded. "I'm driving," He said and Sam laughed before pulling the keys out and tossing them to Dean.

He caught them midair and grinned as he unlocked his car. Athena went to get in the backseat with Adriana, but Sam shook his head moving her to the passenger side door. Athena looked confused but climbed in anyways. They drove off down the road, and Athena glanced behind her into the backseat and smiled. She wasn't confused anymore as to why Sam had wanted to sit in the back. In the backseat, Adriana was leaning against Sam, the two of them asleep. He had his arm around her waist, resting on her stomach. It was about a half hour's drive into the city to the hospital and the two seemed to be catching up on sleep since they rarely had done it when Dean was sick.

"How are you really?" Athena asked Dean.

"You say it as if you didn't believe me before," he said, smirking. She laughed, for the first time in a while.

"I never believe you on premise that you'd tell me lies," she said, smirking back.

"I would never! But in answer to your question, I'm good. Great, even..." The way he trailed off left room for doubt.

"But?" Athena asked. He glanced at her.

"What do you mean 'but?'"

"You sounded like there was a but at the end of that sentence," Athena commented, and Dean sighed.

"I just... I have this really strange feeling," He told her honestly. "Like, this isn't right."

"How so?" She asked, but he shook his head.

"It's nothing. I'm just talking crazy nonsense," He said. She tried to ask him about it after that but he refused to say anything more. She sighed and gave up as they pulled into the hospital parking lot. He turned around and tapped Sam's knee to wake him up. "Yo, Sammy. We're here," He told him and watched as Sam blinked his eyes a few times before stretching a little. He realized his arm was around Adriana and quickly moved it, waking up the blonde girl in the process. She yawned and glanced around.

"We here?"

"Yep," Dean said as he climbed out of the car. "Let's go. Sam, stop blushing. Come on," He said with a smirk because he knew it would make Sam blush more. Athena laughed at his blush and Sam glared at her.

"You know, I almost liked you better when you were worried about him," Sam said, jerking a finger at Dean. Athena glared and walked away, following Dean into the hospital. Sam smirked, a rare occasion and Adriana came up behind him.

"Whatcha looking all evil about?" she asked, giggling. Sam's expression changed to one of mock offense.

"Just because I'm smirking, it makes me evil? I'm wounded, Adrie," he said.

She laughed as she slipped her hand into his larger one. "Come on," She said as she dragged him after the two ahead of them. When they caught up, Dean was signing in before taking a seat in the waiting room. Athena sat beside him. The two left sat across from them. "Can we get something to eat after this?" Adriana whined and Dean laughed, shaking his head at the blonde.

"I don't get it. You're always hungry yet you gain no weight. At all," He said teasingly. "Where do you put it all?" He asked.

Adriana shrugged. "Apparently running after supernatural creatures in hunts is work out enough," She told him and Dean nodded his head.

"Touche," He replied just as a nurse came out.

"Dean Winchester," She called and he stood up, the group with him, and followed the nurse back into the back of the hospital where they did the usual checkup before placing them in a room for the doctor to come see them.

"Yeah I agree with Adriana," Athena said. Dean choked.

"About what?"

"We need food," she told him with a wink.

"Delayed reaction there, Thene," he said just before the doctor walked in.

She asked a couple of questions and Dean answered the best he could. She nodded and told him she wanted to run a few tests. She took him out of the room and a cat scan on him, just to make sure he was okay. He came back in and the doctor said she'd be back with the results in a few minutes.

"We do need food," Dean said and Adriana laughed.

"Delayed reaction there," She told him and Dean shot her a playful glare.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm hungry. I'm just saying. I feel like I haven't eaten in ages," He said and Sam laughed.

"That's probably because you haven't."

"Go and get me a cheeseburger, child," Dean told Adriana.

"Excuse me? I may be younger than you but it does NOT give you the right to call me a child," she said, her tone deadly serious. Dean turned to Athena.

"Get me a cheeseburger, child," he said in the same fashion, before laughing. "I'm sorry. Only you can be a child, Drie Drie," Dean said, winking. He only doubled up her nickname when he really wanted to annoy her.

Adriana glared at him. "I hate you."

**"**So you really feel okay?" Sam asked before Dean could retort.

Dean sighed. "I feel fine, Sam," He said a bit annoyed. He had been reassuring them all day that he was fine.

The doctor from before walked back in with a clipboard. "Well, according to all your tests, there's nothing wrong with your heart. No sign there ever was. Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble, but uh, still it's strange. It does happen."

"What do you mean strange?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

The doctor sighed. "Well, just yesterday a young guy, like you, twenty seven, athletic, out of nowhere, heart attack." She shrugged at him and Dean nodded his head, his face a grim expression.

"Thanks, doc," Dean said quietly.

The doctor nodded. "No problem," She said before walking out.

Dean turned to Sam, his lips pressed tightly together. "That's odd," He said, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Maybe it's a coincidence. People's hearts give out all the time, man," Sam said quickly trying to make sense of it.

Dean shook his head. "No, they don't," He said a bit harshly.

"Look, Dean, do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Why can't we just be thankful that the guy saved your life and move on?" Sam pleaded with him.

"Because I can't shake this feeling, that's why," Dean said as he stood up off of the bed and walked over to a chair where he had laid his jacket across prior.

Sam glanced at the two girls before speaking. "What feeling?"

Dean sighed. "When I was healed, I just, I felt wrong." He paused and put on his jacket. "I felt cold, and for a second I saw someone, this, uh, this old man. I'm telling you, Sam, it was a spirit," He said turning around to face his brother.

"But if there was something there, Dean, I think I woulda seen it, too. I mean, I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately," Sam stated and Dean glared at his little brother.

"Well, excuse me Psychic Wonder," He said sarcastically and Sam sighed. "You're just gonna need a little faith on this one. Sam, I've been hunting long enough to trust a feeling like this."

Sam sighed, letting it go. "Yeah, all right. So, what do you wanna do?"

"I want you and Athena to go check out the heart attack guy; I'm gonna go visit the Reverend with Adriana," He said and Adriana gave him a look.

"Why are you taking me with you?" She asked.

"Because I like to torture you and tease you," He stated, grinning.

"You shouldn't be happy you're healed Dean, because now I can torture and tease you back without feeling guilty."

"Oh give over, Drie, you woulda tortured and teased me in any case," Dean said, grinning. Adriana considered his words before shrugging in agreement.

"I say we get some food and go back to the motel," Athena said. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Oh look, she's giving orders again," he said to no one in particular.

"Only because you're so good at following them," she told him. Sam snorted and began walking back through the hospital. "Hey Dean?" Athena asked as they exited the building.

"Yes, Athena?" he asked cautiously. When he turned, she was grinning.

"Can I drive?" she asked. Sam laughed at the expression on Dean's face.

"You look like you've just seen someone die," he said, elbowing him.

"Really? Already with the death jokes Sam?" Adriana asked in a pretend disappointed tone.

"In answer to your question, Athena, you can drive over my dead body," Dean said, trying to wind them both up in one hit.

Adriana glared at Dean. "Really? Not just an hour ago you would have been dead," She told him. "And now you're making jokes about it?"

Dean shrugged. "I gotta make jokes about something."

"So make a joke about something else," Adriana huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. Dean laughed as he draped his arms around the blonde girl's shoulders.

"Relax, Drie. You get over worked up about nothing," He told her. "Yeah, we'll grab food and then I'll drop you two off at the motel while Drie and I go and talk to Reverend Le Grange and see if he knows anything about this strange man or if he might seem a little out there," Dean said.

Sam nodded. "That works," He said as they reached the Impala and Dean unlocked the doors.

"So, Sam are you and Drie gonna sleep together again?" He said, making a teasing reference to when they had fallen asleep together in the backseat on the way to the hospital.

Sam rolled his eyes as he opened the door. "Would you grow up?" He asked.

Dean grinned. "Then there'd be no fun in life."

"So, are you and Athena going to sleep together yet?" Adriana asked sweetly, putting emphasis on the word 'sleep.' Dean glared and stormed over to the Impala, yanking the door open. Athena went a blotchy colour and glared at the petite blonde. Sam shook his head, laughing silently.

"What's the matter Dean?" she asked, climbing into the car. "You can give it but you can't take it? Or maybe that's Athena's job," she said, grinning wickedly. Sam snorted. He never knew Adriana had such a dirty mind.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Get in the car," He told her and Adriana laughed, saluting him and climbing into the back with Athena this time as Sam got into the passenger side.

They got food, Dean dropped Athena and Sam off at the motel and then drove him and Adriana back to the tent where he had been healed. As they got out of the car, Dean glanced around the placing, shuddering a bit at the memory. They walked around the side of the tent and saw a house standing beside it. The house belonged to Reverend Le Grange and his wide, Sue-Ann. It was a nice house, very old-fashioned. It was a two story house painted white with a wrap around porch around the entire house.

"You okay?" Adriana asked Dean. He noticed he had stopped and was staring at the tent, like he was lost in thought. Dean shook his head, clearing it.

"Yeah. I'm good," Dean said as they walked up the steps and knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened and they could see Sue-Ann standing there through the screen door.

"Dean," Sue-Anna said, her face widening in surprise at seeing him. "Can I help you?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I just... I just wanted to ask you and your husband some questions," He said quietly and she nodded, her gaze travelling over to Adriana who still gave off a skeptics vibe about the healing miracles that seemed to take place here. Dean caught Sue-Ann's gaze. "This is Adriana. She's a good friend of mine."

"Delighted," Sue-Ann said smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Uhh, we were wondering if we could speak with your husband?" Dean inquired. Sue-Ann stepped back from the door, motioning them inside.

"What about?" she asked pleasantly.

"About my... healing," Dean said, using the word to get her on side.

"Speaking of your healing," Sue-Ann began as she led the way inside. "How are you feeling?" She asked, stepping into a front room where Reverend Le Grange was sitting. She motioned to a couch for Dean and Adriana to sit on, which they did. She sat in a chair across them. "Roy? Dean's here to ask a few questions, the boy you just healed?"

He nodded. "Ah, Dean. Welcome."

Dean smiled as he turned to Sue-Ann. "I feel great, just trying to, you know, make sense of what happened," He said truthfully.

Sue-Anna smiled at him as she passed him a cup of tea, but he shook his head. She nodded and set it down on the table in front of them. "A miracle's what happened. Miracles come so often around Roy." She turned and smiled at her husband affectionately.

Dean nodded, his gaze also resting on the older man. "When did they start? The miracles?" He asked.

The Reverend sighed. "Woke up one morning, stone blind. Doctors figured out I had cancer, told me I had maybe a month. So, uh, we prayed for a miracle. I was weak, but I told Sue-Ann, you just keep right on praying. I went into a coma. Doctors said I wouldn't wake up, but I did. And the cancer was gone. If it wasn't for these eyes, no one would believe I'd had it." He took of his black sunglasses to reveal his eyes. They were there, but it was as if they weren't really looking at you. They were this pale blue with a clear film over them, and Dean and Adriana knew that the older gentleman was blind.

"And suddenly you could heal people?" Adriana asked softly.

The Reverend nodded. "I discovered it afterward, yeah. God's blessed me in many ways." He smiled at his wife who returned the gesture. Even though he coudn't see, he seemed to be able to know that she had received it.

"And his thoughts just swelled over-night. And this is just the beginning," Sue-Ann stated, a happy tone in her voice.

"Can I ask you one last question?" Dean asked, his tone softer than normal and Adriana glanced over at him. He seemed to be fighting against something because his face was conflicted with many emotions.

"'Course you can," The Reverend said.

Dean took a deep breath. "Why? Why me? Out of all the sick people, why save me?"

**"**Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart and you just stood out from all the rest," The Reverend said honestly. Adriana noticed Dean tensed a little at that.

"What did you see in my heart?" He asked softly.

"A young man with an important purpose and a job to do. And it isn't finished," The Reverend answered sincerely.

Dean stayed tensed. Adriana noticed and put a hand on his arm. He nodded, standing up robotically. "Thank you for your time, Reverend le Grange," Adriana said, upon Dean saying nothing.

"Anytime my dear. Show these young people out please, Sue-Ann," Reverend le Grange said, before settling back into the couch. His wife stood and lend them to the door. Dean still had his lips pressed together as he stepped out of the house.

_~Far Away~_

Back at the motel, Sam was doing what he did best: researching. He had his laptop out and was scrolling through several websites.

"It says here le Grange has healed over twenty people," he commented.

"Fascinating," Athena drawled sarcastically from where she lay on the bed, scanning medical records.

"I thought so," Sam said, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes and didn't reply.

"So, I take it by your earlier avoidance of the subject, you _haven't_ slept with Dean?" Sam said. Athena slammed her papers down and marched over to the table, leaning over it.

"Even if I want to, even if I had, why the fuck would it be any of your business?" she snapped viciously over the table.

Sam simply laughed. "Calm down, Thena. It was just a question. You don't have to answer if you don't want to," He stated, continuing to surf through the web. Athena glared at him and Sam laughed again, shaking his head. "Okay, can you stop glaring at me long enough for the two of us to walk down to the local swimming pool and check out this Marshall Hall guy's death?" He asked her and she recoiled her glare from off of him and nodded. He stood up, closing his laptop and headed for the door. "Come on."

He exited and she followed. The two of them walked in silence. They didn't really have much to talk about. The two of them rarely talked whenever they were on cases, the silence usually being filled by Dean. Dean was their common ground. They didn't hate each other, they just weren't close like Dean was to Adriana.

They entered the swimming pool and Sam walked up to a tall black man. "Hello, we're here to enquire about the death of Marshal Hal?l" Sam said confidently. The man gave them the once over.

"Who're you?" he asked gruffly.

"We're part of his family. We just wanted to know what happened," Sam said. "Cousins."

The man nodded. "Well, you'll have to walk with me on the way to the pool because I have to head down there for a class," He stated leading the way down some hallways. "Well, we were running through the trails in the woods, getting exercise when he collapsed."

"Did he have any medical history concerning his heart?" Athena asked.

The man shook his head. "No. Marshall seemed healthy, swam every day, didn't smoke... So, a heart attack just kind of seemed, well, bizarre," The man explained.

Sam nodded as he and Athena followed him. "And you said he was running right before he collapsed?" He asked.

The man nodded. "Yeah, yeah, he was freaking out. He said that something was, uh, was after him," He said.

**"**Did he say what?" Sam asked.

The man scoffed. "Well, thin air is what. I mean, it wasn't anything."

Sam nodded. "Alright, thanks." He turned to leave, but noticed a stopped clock on the wall. "Hey, buddy? Your, uh, your clock's busted," He pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, we, uh, can't get it workin'. Just froze at 4:17," The man explained.

Sam and Athena exchanged a glance. "Is that the same time Marshall died?" Sam asked.

"How'd you know?" He asked him.

Sam shrugged. "Just a lucky guess."

"Very lucky," the man muttered. Sam and Athena had already left.

"There's gotta be a spirit involved in this," Athena said and Sam nodded.

"A spirit, though, or something else," he mused, running the endless possibilities through his head.

"I'm beginning to think Dean's right," Athena commented.

"When don't you?" he asked, rolling her eyes.

"What IS going on in that freaky head of yours?" she asked, upon noticing Sam thinking hard.

"What are the chances of a man dying at the same time Dean was healed? Dying of the same thing Dean had?" He asked her.

Athena sighed. "That is a pretty big coincidence," She stated.

Sam nodded. "I think we need to do some more research. See how many people died and how many people were healed."

_~Far Away~_

As Dean and Adriana stepped out of the house, they saw Layla and her mother walking up the steps coming to meet with the Reverend.

"Dean, hey," Layla greeted then noticed Adriana. "Adriana." She nodded her head towards the blonde girl who nodded back.

"Hey," Dean said.

"How ya feelin'?" Layla asked softly.

"I feel good. Cured, I guess. What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"Ya know, my mom, she wanted to talk to the Reverend," Layla said quietly.

Sue-Ann noticed Layla and smiled. "Layla."

"Yes, I'm here again," She said, almost a bit like the older woman might be annoyed at her for being here.

"Well, I'm sorry. Roy's resting, he won't be seeing anyone else right now," Sue-Anna explained as Mrs. Rourke and Layla stepped past Dean and Adriana up the steps towards her.

"Sue-Ann, please, this is our sixth time! He's got to see us!" Mrs. Rourke exclaimed in annoyance.

"Roy's well aware of Layla's situation and he very much wants to help just as soon as the Lord allows. Have faith, Mrs. Rourke," Sue-Ann told the mother before walking inside.

Mrs. Rourke turned and glared at Dean. "Why are you still even here? You got what you wanted."

"Mom. Stop," Layla said coming to stand beside her mother who had walked in front of Dean, but her mother shook her head.

"No, Layla, this is too much. We've been to every single service. If Roy would stop choosing these strangers over you. Strangers who don't even believe. I just can't pray any harder," She said quietly, sighing.

"Layla what's wrong?" Dean asked as he turned to face her.

"I have this thing..." Layla began obviously not wanting to make Dean feel bad for her. She didn't want pity and she didn't want him to blame himself because he had gotten healed and she hadn't.

"It's a brain tumor," Mrs. Rourke added harshly. "It's inoperable. In six months the doctors say..." She let her sentence trail off and Layla placed a hand on her mother's shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Dean said quietly and Adriana could tell he was already starting to feel bad about being healed.

**"**It's okay," Layla told him, but her mother cut in.

"No. It isn't. Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?" She asked Dean harshly. Adriana had stayed quiet throughout this exchange but at this, she flared up.

"Why do you think your daughter deserves to live more than Dean?" she snapped. Mrs Rourke looked very taken aback.

"Because we have begged the Lord for help for months on end and you show up and have the nerve to insult me" she said. "You don't even believe," she told her.

"You're right. How does it feel then knowing that he was healed yet you think we don't believe? Hurts, doesn't it?" Adriana asked, smirking nastily. All she had going through her head was Dean, lying in the hospital bed but never waking up.

Dean placed a hand on Adriana's shoulder, trying to calm her. "We'll be leaving now," He said and Mrs. Rourke continued to glare at Adriana and Dean.

She had already disliked him for being healed instead of her daughter, but now she disliked the girl as well. Dean nodded to Layla before leading Adriana back to the Impala. Instead of starting the car and driving away, they sat there in the silence for a moment.

"Are we-"

"Why are you snapping? I mean, I know it's normal for you, but her daughter is dying, Drie. Have some sympathy," Dean said turning to face her.

Adriana shook her head. "Dean, you deserve to live just as much as she does!" She exclaimed.

He sighed. "What's gotten into you, Adriana?" He asked.

She shook her head, biting her lip and glancing up at the ceiling of the Impala. Having snapped at Layla's mother and the mental image of having Dean laying in a hospital bed had gotten to her. She felt tears in her eyes, and she blinked furiously trying to fight them. She hated having anyone see her cry, especially Dean. He was also so strong and truth be told, she wanted to be just like him. She wanted to be able to fight and help out and just be there. She hated having to show her emotions in front of him.

"Dean-" Adriana pursed her lips together, fighting the tears. "Back at the hospital the first time... When you were-" She shook her head. "I can't lose you..." She said, her voice breaking as she turned to face Dean.

This was the second time she could feel herself breaking down. Twice in one case was a record for her. Dean pulled Adriana close to him. The way he comforted her was different to Sam. Sam tried to find the source of the problem and fix it whereas Dean just let her get it out.

"I can't lose you either if it's any consolation," Dean said after she sobbed loudly.

She tried to stop herself from crying but the tears kept coming. They wouldn't stop. Dean realised this was more than what it seemed. Adriana had managed to keep it together through the Wendigo case which had affected her because of her dad. She'd managed to keep it together when they went back to Lawrence, when it would have hurt her just as much. She'd even mainly managed to keep it together when she'd been threatened by Bloody Mary. All of that tension, the months of cases, all came out now. Adriana cried for a good fifteen minutes. Dean usually didn't deal well with crying girls but Adriana was an exception.

After a few moments, her cries and shakes lessened. She sniffled and took a deep breath, exhaling. She wiped a few tears away and some makeup smudges came off of her cheeks. She sighed and Dean smiled as he wiped another tear away off of her cheek.

"We good?" He asked her softly and she nodded her head.

She was his little sister no matter. They might not be related through blood, but that didn't matter to Dean. Blood didn't make you family, you have to earn that right. As far as Dean was concerned, Adriana had earned the right to be his little sister. She was twenty years old to his twenty seven and he would always protect her no matter how old she got. He would always play the over protective brother when it came to guys she showed interest in or when guys showed interest in her-unless it was Sam. He trusted Sam with her.

"Let's go back to Sam and Athena and hope they haven't killed each other yet," She said sniffling a little bit more. Dean nodded as he started the car up and drove away to the motel they were staying at.

_~Far Away~_

Back at the motel, Sam and Athena were looking up any records of deaths that had occurred during Reverend Le Grange's healing hours, trying to make a connection. So far, they had found four people who had died at the exact time that someone was healed and had died of the exact thing that person was being healed of. It was more than just a coincidence, Sam decided as he was on the phone with the local coroner to get the cause of death on another possible victim to Roy Le Grange.

"I found another one," Athena announced as she hung up the phone. "Martha Waters died at 11:23 am last Thursday morning. Cause of death? A failed kidney," She stated. "On Thursday morning at 11:23 am, Peter Abrams was healed of a failed kidney," She explained to him just as he hung up the phone as well.

He nodded. "Sarah Peters was healed of a collapsed lung two weeks ago at 4:30 pm. Kyle Lincoln died at 4:30 pm of a collapsed lung," He said shaking his head. "That makes six people so far, and only that we know of. There could be hundreds more just like them," He told her with a sigh.

"But how is the Reverend doing it?" She asked him and Sam sighed.

"I don't know..."

"Goddamnit," she said. Sam nodded and she stood up, walking over to the fridge.

"You want some death-in-a-bottle?" she asked, using Adriana's name for the energy drinks her and Dean drank. Sam rubbed his eyes.

"That doesn't sound too bad, actually," he said and Athena tossed him a can. He caught it skillfully, opening it and instantly resuming his research. Athena rolled her eyes in disgust, getting her own energy drink.

"I'm bored. You should entertain me," she told him.

He either didn't hear her or ignored her. She went to retort but the door to their motel room opened and Dean and Adriana walked in. Dean took off his leather jacket and tossed it on the table before he walked over to Sam who was still on his laptop. Sam glanced up and noticed Adriana looked like she had been crying. He started to ask if she was okay, but he knew how she hated crying so he figured it best not to bring back up whatever had made her cry.

"What'd you find out?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry," He said almost a whisper.

Dean glanced at Athena and she looked down, guilty. "Sorry about what?" Dean asked him, confusion in his voice.

"Marshall Hall died at 4:17," Sam said and Dean nodded his head, everything clicking into place for him. He shook his head not wanting to believe it.

"The exact time I was healed," Dean said and Sam nodded.

"Yeah. So, we put together a list of everyone who was healed-six people over the past year- and I cross checked them with the local obits. Everytime someone was healed, someone else died," He said quietly and Dean sat down in a chair, a grim expression on his face. "And each time the victim died of the same symptom Le Grange was healing at the time," Sam added.

"So, everytime someone is healed of cancer someone else dies of cancer?" Adriana asked just to clarify what Sam was saying.

Sam nodded. "Somehow Le Grange is trading a life for another."

Dean shook his head as something else clicked. "Wait, wait, wait, so, Marshall Hall died to save me?" He asked and Sam gave his brother an apologetic look.

"Dean, the guy probably woulda died anyway and someone else woulda been healed," Sam said quietly trying to make up a reason on why it was okay for what happened.

Dean slammed his hand down on the table. "I don't care, Sam. This is basically the same as me killing a man!" Dean said, his tone harsh.

"Dean, please just be thankful you're here and let us go," Sam said pleadingly. Dean stayed frozen in his stance for a minute before storming into the bathroom. Sam gave Athena an apologetic look and she sighed.

"So. Dean's blaming himself because he's alive and a man's dead. And Sam's blaming himself for telling Dean," Athena offered. Sam started to deny it but was unable to. Adriana glared. "And for some fucked reason, Adriana's blaming herself," she finished, shrugging. Adriana's glare intensified as the other girl stood up, dropped her empty can into a bin and grabbed another one just as Dean walked out of the bathroom.

"You never should've brought me here," He said, his tone unreadable.

Sam sighed. "Dean, I was just trying to save your life."

"But, Sam, some guy is dead now because of me!" Dean exclaimed and the two girls watched as the brothers argued over this.

"I didn't know. The thing I don't understand is how is Roy doing it? How is he-how is he trading a life for a life?" Sam asked, changing the subject onto the case and off of Dean's healing.

Dean shook his head. "Oh, he's not doing it. Something else is doing it for him."

Athena gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"The old man I saw on stage. I didn't wanna believe it, but deep down I knew it," Dean said and Sam gave him a confused look.

"You knew what? What are you talking about?" He asked his older brother.

"There's only one thing that can give and take life like that. We're dealing with a Reaper," Dean said and Sam paused for a moment then nodded his head as it all made sense.

"A Reaper? As in a Grim Reaper?" Athena asked. Being a relatively new hunter, there were still many creatures she hadn't encountered, a Reaper being one of them.

"Exactly," Sam said.

"With the scythe and the creepy hood?" she continued, a smile creeping onto her face. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Is it possible for you to be mature for one second and consider what we're facing is actually something dangerous?" he snapped. He rarely raised his voice, but Dean complaining about being alive, mixed with him almost dying stressed him out. Athena raised her eyebrows.

"Don't take your stress out on others, Sam," she said quietly and sincerely for once. Sam glared over at her before exhaling.

"So a Reaper?" she asked, once he'd relaxed. "How do we kill it?" Adriana laughed.

"Thena, it's a Reaper. You can't kill death."

"So how do we stop it?" Athena asked impatiently and Sam sighed.

"I'm not sure." The youngest brother sighed. "We need to head to the library and get some books and start researching," He said and Dean groaned in annoyance as did Adriana. They both hated research. It just wasn't fun. Athena liked it for now because she was learning new things. As soon as she stopped learning new things and she got to Dean and Adriana's point, she'd probably hate it too. You'd have to be Sam not to hate it. "Well, don't all jump at once to take a drive to the library and grab what's needed."

Dean tossed the Impala keys to Sam. "You go. You know what books you need to get. We'll just sit and chill here," He said.

Sam gave his brother a blank look. "Really? Dean, come on. I can't carry all the books that we need," He said and Dean laughed.

"Take one of the girls," He volunteered for them and Adriana and Athena shot him a dark glare.

"Excuse me?" Athena questioned. "If I want to volunteer myself to go to the library, I will gladly do so. I don't need your help on that subject matter."

Dean grinned. "Great. It's settled, Adriana's going with you."

Adriana's head whipped around to face Dean. "How did we get that conclusion out of what was just said?" She asked him.

"Athena spoke up first, leaving you to the job of going with Sam," Dean explained. "It's quite simple really."

Adriana glared at Dean. "I hate you."

Dean laughed. "I'm sure you do. But that doesn't change the fact you get to go with Sam to pick up books."


	17. Bring Me To Life

Early the next morning, Sam and Adriana moved off to the library. They didn't say anything to each other, existing in companionable silence. They quickly found the books on Reapers and flicked through them, making copies of anything and everything of interest. They arrived back at the motel around midday.

Dean and Athena had done nothing all morning. More precisely, Dean had done nothing. Athena had tried very hard to look like she was doing nothing. When Dean suggested maybe she should cook something she glared at him. The door swung open and Adriana and Sam walked in, their arms filled with papers and books.

"The brave researchers return," Dean commented sarcastically as they dumped it on the table.

"I wouldn't be so flippant Dean; this is you we're trying to save this time."

Athena's words floated across from the couch and Sam raised his eyebrows. That seemed a bit of an abrupt way to put it, but true all the same. Dean pulled off the first couple of pages of the stack, skimming it, as Athena stood up to join them. She mimicked Dean's actions.

"You really think it's _the_ Grim Reaper? Like, Angel of Death, collect your soul, the whole deal?  
she asked. Sam shook his head.

"No, no, no, not _the _Reaper, _a _Reaper. There's Reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth. Go by a hundred different names, it's possible that there's more than one of 'em," he told her. Adriana silently walked over and filled a glass with water, watching the group.

"But didn't he say it was a guy in a suit?" Athena asked, her brow furrowing.

"Oh, what? You thought he shoulda been working the whole 'black robe' thing? You said it yourself that the clock stopped," Dean commented.

"And reapers stop time", Adriana added. "You can only see them when they're coming at you, which is why Dean could see it and we couldn't."

"Maybe," Sam said quietly. This whole idea of reapers was still a little hard for him to wrap his head around, but it was the biggest lead they had, so he was going with it for the time being.

"There's nothing else it could be, Sam," Dean said a little annoyed.

Adriana walked forward, glass of water still in hand, and picking up a print out of an article her and Sam had gotten that morning. "The question is, how's Roy controlling the thing?" She said, skimming over the paper in her hand.

Sam paused for a minute. "That cross."

Dean, Athena and Adriana glanced at Sam. "What?" His older brother asked.

As Sam spoke, he dug through his duffel bag looking for something. "There was this cross-I noticed it in the church tent. I knew I'd seen it before." He found what he was looking for and passed what looked like a playing card to Athena across the table to Dean. "Here."

Dean glanced at the card before handing it to Adriana to examine. "A tarot?" Dean asked him, skepticism clear in his voice.

"Wait a tarot? Like a tarot card?" Athena asked once Adriana had given her the card. "As in like the things gypsies and fortune tellers use to predict your future?" She questioned.

Adriana nodded her head. "Sorta. Tarot cards are used to predict your future. It's a special system of fortune telling using a special pack of seventy-eight cards that consists of four suits of fourteen cards together with twenty two picture cards." She rattled off the information from memory, and Dean smirked.

"You're starting to sound like Sam," He joked. She glared, but continued on.

"But, it doesn't have to be used to just tell your future. They can be used in rituals that have to do with your future. Like, if Le Grange is using this card to control the Reaper, he's in a way predicting that person's future: death," She explained to Athena.

"Okay then, so we stop Roy."

"How?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You know how," Athena said clearly, meeting his eyes. Dean nodded in agreement. Adriana frowned a little.

"Wait," Sam said, glancing between them all. "What the hell are you talking about. We can't kill Roy!"

"Sam, the guy's playing God! He's deciding who lives and who dies, that's a monster in my book."

"Yeah, and you're living Dean. Would you rather be dead?" Sam snapped. He took a deep breath in. "No, we're not gonna kill a human being, Dean. We do that, we're no better than he is."

"Okay, so we can't kill Roy," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"And we can't kill Death," Adriana interjected.

"So any bright ideas, college boy?" Dean asked, and Sam closed his eyes, thinking for a moment.

"Okay, uh, if Roy's using some kind of black spell on the Reaper, we gotta figure out what it is. And how to break it."

"Easier said than done," Athena muttered.

"We go back to the tent. Dean and Athena can look there, and Drie and I will go to his house," Sam said, ignoring the brunette hunter. Adriana nodded and Dean shrugged.

"Sounds good then."

"When's the next healing?" Adriana asked and Sam glanced typed something into his computer and searched for it.

"Today, 3 pm." Sam glanced up at all of them. "If we do this, we gotta do it soon."

Dean nodded. "3 pm is in an hour. We might as well head out now," He said standing up and grabbing his keys. Within the next few moments, the four of them left and arrived at the location of the tent just before the services.

"If Roy's using a spell, there might be a spell book," Sam commented as Dean turned off the Impala but didn't get out yet.

Dean nodded. "See if you can find it and hurry up too, the service starts in fifteen minutes," He told Sam. "Thena and I will try to stall the service," He said as they climbed out of the car.

"How you gonna do that?" Adriana asked him.

Dean shrugged. "No idea yet. It'll come to me though. Improvisation is an amazing thing to have, Drie. You should try it sometime," He added as he tapped her nose and she glared at him, waving his hand away.

"Reverend Le Grange is a fraud!" The same man from the first service was calling out to everyone. He handed Dean a flyer. "He's no healer."

Dean nodded. "Amen, brother."

Sam smiled. "Keep up the good work," He told the man who nodded his head.

"Thank you," He said as they all walked away.

"Okay. Drie, go with Sam. I'll take Athena and we'll keep Roy from performing another healing tonight," Dean said.

Sam nodded before motioned Adriana to follow him off to Reverend Le Grange's house which was just a little ways away from the tent. They hid just below his porch, waiting for a chance to enter. After a few moments, the front door opened and Sue-Ann stepped out, helping her husband beside her. Adriana and Sam pressed themselves against the porch more, trying to stay as much out of sight as possible. The couple walked straight passed them, not noticing and continued on their way to the tent. Once they were clearly out of earshot, Sam stood up a little bit making sure the coast was clear.

When no one was around, he headed up onto the porch with Adriana beside him. Sam walked around the house to the back where he wedged a window open and climbed in. He turned around and helped Adriana in before he glanced around the room. It was just a normal room. It has a couch against one wall and a rocking chair beside it. No television or radios decorated the walls or anything like that. It was old-fashioned, but homey. He led the way out of the back room and into another room off to the side where a small office was located.

While Adriana looked in the desk and the drawers, Sam made his way to a bookshelf. He paused, staring at the shelves and noticed a thick layer of dust covered the wood in front of each book. The dust wasn't touched therefore none of those books had been moved. He moved along the shelf with his finger until he found a part where the dust was wiped away. He glanced at the book for a moment before pulling it out. The book was a dark green color with the words "The Encyclopedia of Christian History" inscribed in golden ink on the front cover.

"Hey," He said to Adriana who glanced up from a drawer she was digging through to see him and the book.

She quickly closed the drawer and crossed the room to him. She watched as he opened the book, flipping through all of the pages, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Sam closed the book with an annoyed sigh and set it down on a table beside him. Adriana glanced in the spot where he had got the book out from and saw something hidden in the back. She reached in the slot and pulled out a small black book, nothing written on the front. She opened the book on a page that had been bookmarked and saw a picture of a Reaper. She flipped a page back and saw a picture of the cross Sam had mentioned. She flipped the page back once more and saw newspaper clippings and articles paperclipped to the book.

One article was of Marshall Hall, an openly gay teacher at a local high school. The same man who had died of a heart attack. The same man who had died to save Dean. Another newspaper clipping was of a woman who helped get abortion approved in that state. The third and final clipping was of David, who called Reverend Le Grange's church "a cult". Adriana and Sam both recognized David as the man who was out front passing out flyers and calling these healings a fraud. Adriana shook her head as she handed the same book to let him look at it.

"David's the next target," She told him and Sam nodded his head in agreement as he took the clippings out of the book and put them in his pocket. He put the books back on the shelf where they had been before they had come. "Reverend is killing those he sees immoral."

"We have to save him," Sam said. "Come on. Let's let Dean know." He led the way back through the house to the window they had entered and exited the same way, making sure to close it behind them. He pulled out his cellphone as they headed to the parking lot and dialed Dean's number who picked up instantly.

_"Whataya got?"_ Dean asked on the other line.

"Roy's choosing victims he sees as immoral," Sam explained to him. "And we think we know who's next on his list. Remember that protestor?"

_"The guy in the parking lot?"_ Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I'll find him. But, you can't let Roy heal anyone, all right?" He said before hanging up the phone. "All right. We gotta find David before a Reaper does," Sam told Drie as they both took off in opposite directions in the parking lot, hoping to cover more ground apart.

_~Far Away~_

Back inside the tent, Dean had hung up the phone. Athena turned to him waiting for him to explain what was going on.

"Sam and Drie think they know who the next victim is. They're trying to find him while we stall this healing," He told her. Athena nodded.

"Sounds like tons of fun," She muttered under her breath just as Reverend stood up in the front of the tent.

"Layla. Layla Rourke. Come up here, child," He called and Dean groaned in annoyance. Of course it would be her when they had to stop everything. Layla walked past Dean and he did the only thing he could. He grabbed her wrist.

"Listen Layla, you can't go up there," he said, his voice low and urgent.

"Why not?" she asked surprised. "We've waited months."

"You can't let Roy heal you." Layla glanced across at Athena, who had spoken. She frowned, her pretty face showing confusion.

"I don't understand. I mean, Roy healed you, didn't he? Why wouldn't I at least him try?" Dean looked at Athena helplessly. They had to stop this man for the greater god.

"Because if you do something bad is gonna happen," Athena said, her tone harsh. Layla's eyes widened and she turned to Dean.

"I can't explain it, I just need you to believe me."

"Layla." Sue-Ann's voice rang out and Layla looked at Dean, then back to her mother on stage. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling her hand out of his wrist. He started after her, but Athena held him back.

"We can't," was all she said. Dean knew she was right.

"Dear child" Sue-Ann intoned. "You deserve this."

"I knew the Lord had a plan for you. I knew he would give you a chance." Layla smiled on the stage.

_~Far Away~_

Outside in the parking lot, the man who'd been protesting earlier called out for help. Sam glanced at Adriana, wondering if she'd heard it as well. She nodded when he met her eye and they quickly moved around, looking for him.

"Help me! Help me please," he called again, and Adriana located him.

"Sammy," she called and he made his way over to the blonde. "Where is it?" she asked him quietly. His eyes were wide in fear.

"It's right there," he said, his voice panicky.

"Okay," Adriana said authoritatively as Sam appeared. He helped her lead the man away from where his gaze was fixated.

_~Far Away~_

Back inside the tent, the healing continued.

"Pray with me friends. I hope you're ready," the Reverend said to the entire tent.

"I am," Layla said calmly, closing her eyes. The Reverend lowered his hand onto her head. Dean shot Athena a desperate glance before standing up.

"Fire!" he yelled. "Fire! The tents on fire! Everybody get out of here." The tent exploded into panic, with people scrambling out of seats and making for the doorway. Layla's mother's face dropped.

"No! No, please! Please don't stop! Please! Reverend please! Please! Please don't stop! Please!" she said, begging him helplessly. It was no use.

"Friends, if you'd all just leave the tent in an orderly fashion and we'll figure out what's going on out there" The reverend said calmly. Everyone eventually made it out of the tent.

"I stopped Roy", Dean said quietly to Athena and she nodded as Dean pulled out his cellphone and called Adriana. He told her the same thing. "I stopped Roy."

Adriana turned and nodded at Sam. "It should be over."

Sam looked at David. "David? I think it's okay," He told him. David visibly relaxed before glancing around. Suddenly his gaze landed on something beside Adriana, his eyes widening. Adriana turned around trying to see what he was looking for as Sam took her cellphone from her. "Dean! It didn't work! The Reaper's still coming!" He pulled Adriana behind him and they both watched as David dropped onto his knees, growing paler by the second. There was nothing they could do to stop it. They were helpless.

"Sam!" Adriana exclaimed, a silent plea for him to do something.

"I'm telling you!" Sam said into the phone. "I'm telling you it must not've worked! Roy must not be controlling the thing!"

"Well then who the hell is?" Dean asked as he glanced around the tent, his gaze landing on a person in the corner, their back to him and Athena, but he could tell it was Sue-Ann, the Reverend's wife. "Sue-Ann," Dean told Sam before hanging up and putting the phone in his pocket.

He walked over to the woman and grabbed her should, spinning her around to face him. She had a cross-the same cross Sam had shown them a picture of-clutched tightly in her hands in front of her. She had been chanting something before he interrupted.

"You..." Athena said trailing off as she stood beside Dean. Sue-Ann gave the two a cautious look before crying out for help.

"Help! Somebody help me! Help!" She called and Dean set his jaw, an annoyed expression at what she was doing before he felt hands on his shoulders pulling him away from her.

He stood his ground for a moment before allowing them to lead him away, Athena being dragged beside him before they were both pushed out of the tent. Sue-Ann followed them and gave Dean a disappointed look.

"I just don't understand, after everything we've done for you; after Roy healed you..." She shook her head at him. "I'm just very, very disappointed, Dean." She turned to the police officers. "You can let him go; I'm not going to press charges. The Lord will deal with him as He sees fit." She continued to shake her head at Dean as the police officers let go of Dean and Athena before Sue-Ann walked away from them.

"We catch you around here again, son, and we'll put the fear of God in you," One told Dean with a dark glare.

Dean returned their glare with one of his own. "Yes sir, fear of God. Got it," He said sarcastically. The officer shoved Dean a little and he tightened his jaw as they walked away. He took a deep breath before turning around and seeing Layla standing there. She had a broken, confused expression on her face.

"Why would you do that, Dean? That could've been my only chance," She asked him.

Dean gave her an expression similar to a lost one begging with her to understand that he had done the right thing. "He's not a healer," Dean said.

"He healed you," She said and Dean sighed defeatedly.

"I know it doesn't seem fair, and I wish I could explain, but Roy is not the answer," He told her. Athena stood off to the side, not saying anything.

"Goodbye, Dean," Layla said sadly. "I wish you luck, I really do."

Dean sighed. "Same to you." He watched her walk away before adding quietly. "You deserve a lot more than me." He glanced at Athena and started to say something, but stopped himself when he heard Reverend Le Grange speaking to Layla's mother.

"Private session tonight, no interruptions. I give you my word, I'll heal your daughter," He told Mrs. Rourke who sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Reverend." She smiled at him. "God bless you," She said before walking away from and Dean groaned. They would have to stop that healing now, too.

"Come on," Athena said. "Let's go find Adriana and Sam." Dean nodded his head in agreement as they walked through the crowd of people to find his little brother. He soon saw Sam's head over the people and called out to his brother. He turned and they made their way back to the motel.

"So Roy really believes?" Sam asked.

"I don't think he has any idea what his wife is doing," Dean said grimly. Adriana sighed. Great. She turned out to her bag and pulled out a large old book.

"Well, we found this hidden in their library. It's ancient. Written by a priest who went dark side. There's a binding spell in here for trapping a Reaper."

"That's gotta be a helluva spell," Athena commented.

"Yeah. You gotta build a black altar with seriously dark stuff: bones, human blood. To cross a line like that, a Preacher's wife... black magic, murder-evil." Adriana shivered at the thought and Athena chuckled.

"Desperate" Dean said, as though he knew exactly how she felt. If Sam or Adriana or even Athena was dying... "Her husband was dying. She'd've done anything to save him. She was using the binding spell to keep the Reaper away from Roy."

"Cheating Death... literally," Sam said. Athena frowned.

"Yeah but Roy's still alive so why is she still using the spell?" she asked. Sam and Dean glanced at each other before Sam spoke.

"Right... to force the Reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral." Dean rolled his eyes.

"May God save us from half the people who think they are doing God's work," he muttered. Sam ignored him.

"We gotta break that binding spell, Dean," he said. He sat there for a minute before shrugging, coming up with nothing.

"You know," Athena said, glancing at the book. "Sue-Ann had a cross like this," she said, pointing to the one in the book. "And when she dropped it, the Reaper backed off."

"So, maybe we gotta destroy the cross, or the altar or something?" Sam asked.

"Maybe both?" Adriana asked. "But whatever we do, we better do it soon. Roy's healing Layla tonight."

She watched as Dean grabbed his Impala keys and headed to the door. Night had fallen over the group while they were discussing the case, so now was the perfect time to head back over to Roy's house and stop it. They all followed Dean out of the house and into the Impala and after a while, they pulled up to the same place with the tent for the third or fourth time. Dean turned off the car, but sat there silently. Sam glanced over at him and saw a familiar car parked out front.

"That's Layla's car," Sam pointed out. Dean still made no attempt to move.

"Yeah," Was all Dean said.

"Dean-" Sam begin but his older brother cut him off.

"Ya know, if Roy woulda just picked Layla instead of me, she'd be healed right now."

Sam's jaw tightened. "Dean, don't."

"And if she's not healed tonight, she's gonna die in a couple of months," Dean continued on as if Sam hadn't even spoken. The two girls sat in the back not knowing what to say. They figured they should let the brothers talk this one out.

"What's happening to her is horrible, but what are you gonna do? Let somebody else die to save her? You said it yourself Dean, you can't play God," Sam told his brother and Dean nodded his head in understanding, but hating it.

"I know that you're right. It just doesn't make it any easier," he said, pushing the car door open. The others followed him, pausing outside the house quickly.

"Where's Sue-Ann?" Sam asked.

"House," Dean said, nodding to it grimly.

"What are you going to do?" Adriana asked, watching him curiously. He turned back to them. "One of you, follow me if you can," he said before he ran out into the open. A police officer on his rounds spotted him.

"Hey!" Dean yelled, winking at him. "Gonna put that fear of God in me?" he asked before taking off. He ran under the RVs that were parked outside the camp before hiding on top of one. Athena stayed where she was. Adriana and Sam slunk into the bushes until the police officer had passed. They moved into the house, quickly descending the stairs to find Sue Ann in the basement.

"Psycho mutt," Athena heard the police officer say before he passed her by, not noticing her, and she slunk around to where Dean was hiding.

_~Far Away~_

Down in the basement, Sam and Adriana walked in carefully to see a table covered in red wax from melted down candles on it. There was one candle that stood in the middle of the table that hadn't been used or melted down yet. In front of it was a picture stand with a photograph of Dean resting against it, a red 'x' drawn through his face. Adriana walked over to it and picked up the photo, gasping. She shook her head and turned to face Sam holding it out to him.

"Sam." He turned and took it from her.

"I gave your brother life and I can take it away."

Both turned to see Sue-Ann standing in the doorway, holding the cross in her hands. Sam pulled Adriana out of the way before walking around the table and flipping it, knocking everything onto the ground. In the process of him doing this, Sue-Ann rushed out of the basement and locked the door shut, placing a board through the door handles so he couldn't get out. Adriana and Sam both rushed over and pounded on the door, trying to break it.

"No! Let us out!" Adriana cried.

"Sam, can't you see? The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked! And your brother is wicked and he deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live! It's God's will! So, goodbye Sam," She said. When she said no more, they both knew she had disappeared.

_~Far Away~_

Dean and Athena were walking around outside. Suddenly the street lights began to flicker out. Dean turned around and saw the Reaper standing there. Athena couldn't see it but Dean knew what this meant: only people the Reaper was reaping could see it. It walked towards him and he couldn't do anything to avoid it.

"Dean!" Athena called, her voice concerned. The Reaper placed its hand on Dean's cheek and began to suck his life force. She was helpless. Dean fell to his knees and Athena crouched beside him.

"Dean!" she yelled again, her voice cracking. She couldn't lose him again. She just couldn't. All of a sudden, Dean took a deep gasping breath in. The unseen force holding him still moved away and Athena rushed to him.

"Dean?" she asked, her voice concerned.

"Why couldn't I be reaped by a pretty young babe?" he asked, groaning as he lay on his back. Athena breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Sam had managed to kick the door in. Adriana squeezed through the tiny gap he'd made.

"Go for the cross, Drie," he told her, continuing to break the boards as she ran off. She soon saw Sue-Ann chanting in Latin outside the tent. She reached up and grabbed her cross, yanking it away from her neck and onto the ground.

"I don't understand," came the reverend's voice from the tent. Sue-Ann looked at Adriana in horror, before glancing down at the cross Adriana had stomped on.

"My God. What have you done?"

"He's not your God anymore," she said, her voice hard and cold as Sam walked up behind her.

"I don't feel any different." Layla's voice sounded confused and lost.

Sam stood protectively in front of Adriana when he saw the older woman's eyes widen. They locked onto something; Sam could only assume it was the Reaper. She fell to her knees, becoming paler before she was lying on the ground, dead. The Reaper had taken its payment. Sam linked his hand in the small blonde girl's and they walked away amid the voices of the confused people in the tent. They arrived around by the Impala where Athena had her arms folded over her chest and was glaring at Dean. When he saw them arrive her turned to them for sympathy.

"I almost die again and this is the sort of treatment she gives me!"

Adriana raised her eyebrows, before pulling one of the doors open. "How tragic," she said sarcastically.

"I'm driving," Athena announced. Dean glared at her.

"No way!" he said.

"You almost died Dean," she said, her voice fake and sickly sweet. "You need special treatment." Dean glared at her even more intensely and she smirked back as Sam stifled a laugh. She dangled the car keys in front of him.

"Too bad," Sam said to his brother as he conceded defeat and climbed into the front passenger seat of the car.

Once at the motel room, they all staggered inside, sleep wearing heavily on them. Adriana went to fall onto one of the beds, but Athena spoke up. When she was tired, she was cranky and this was something that had been bothering her for as long as the four of them had been hunting together.

"Adriana, you never sleep on the floor. That's not fair to the rest of us," She said, bringing it up. Adriana groaned. She knew this conversation would be brought up sometime.

"Because when it is my turn I share a bed with Sam. And when it's his turn, he shares a bed with me," She said.

"It's still not fair," Athena said. Dean and Sam glanced at the two girls, wondering if they were going to have to break up a fight. Adriana hated being called out on anything. But thankfully, they didn't have to. For the same reason neither of them wanted to break up a fight, Adriana didn't want to fight: they were all way too tired.

"Okay. I'll sleep on the floor," Adriana said grabbing a pillow out of the closet and an extra blanket. She tossed them both onto the floor in between the beds and fell down onto them, just wanting to sleep. Athena collapsed onto one bed and Dean on the other while Sam laid on the floor near where Adriana's feet were. No one had changed out of their clothes because they were all just too tired and within seconds, sleep had overcome them all.

The next morning, after everyone had taken shower and gotten changed and ready to go, Sam noticed Dean was being very quiet, which was unlike him. He glanced at his older brother for a second before speaking.

"What is it?"

Dean glanced over at him confused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nothing," He said as he slipped one of his button up over-shirts on.

"What is it?" Sam asked again and Dean sighed.

"We did the right thing here, didn't we?" He asked quietly.

Sam nodded his head as Adriana and Athena watched Dean. He seemed torn. "Of course we did," His little brother said.

"It doesn't feel like it," He added quietly again before there was a knock at the door. Everyone glanced at it, surprised. No one ever came to visit them because no one ever knew where they were.

"I got it," Sam said before walking over to the door and opening it to see Layla standing there. He smiled at her. "Hey, Layla. Come on in," He added before he stepped aside to allow the blonde girl to walk inside.

Layla smiled at everyone. "Hey."

Dean stared at her for a second. "Hey, how'd you know we were here?" He asked, seeming surprised she as there.

"Um, Sam called me..." She said motioning at the little brother who was still standing at the open doorway. "He said you wanted to say goodbye."

Sam smiled at Dean. "I'm gonna go grab a soda. Drie, Thene, you coming?" He asked and the two girls nodded their heads before grabbing their bags and following Sam out. Athena wasn't exactly about happy leaving Dean with the girl, jealousy taking over.

"How'd you know how to find her?" Adriana asked Sam once they had made it out to the Impala.

He shrugged. "I looked her up in the phone book. Wasn't that hard," He replied as he opened the can of soda he had got from the machine.

"You evil mastermind you," she said with a wink. Sam shrugged.

"What can I say?" he asked, taking a long gulp. Dean appeared from around the corner. His shoulders were down and relaxed and he looked at ease. Adriana reached over and touched Sam's arm, nodding at him, before climbing into the car. Dean walked over to the taller female hunter and Athena appraised him.

"Yes?" she asked cautiously when he stopped in front of her.

"Give me the keys and no one gets hurt, Thena." As tempting as it would've been for her to keep them, she slid her hand into her back pocket and pulled them out, winking, dropping them into his hand and walking around the car. Sam chuckled, climbing into the car himself. Dean started the Impala's engine, quickly pulling out and turning on the radio.


	18. Anything But Ordinary

They drove throughout the country, their cases going smoothly once again. The same old run down motels, the same old diners, but they were happy, working together.

Dean pulled up to a service station to get gas, and Sam climbed out, spreading a map on the bonnet. It was a summer's day and he squinted as the light bounced off the Impala. Adriana was curled up asleep inside. Sam could just make her out through the dark window. Athena was leaning against the Impala, drinking in the sun. For someone of her skin colour, she never seemed to burn, she just stayed the same ethereal white tone. Whereas Adriana got tanned, a golden glow spreading over her entire body.

"Where are we heading to next?" Sam asked as Dean placed the nozzle in the back of the Impala to pump gas.

"I think we'll just get a motel and grab a newspaper and look through the deaths in it, see if we can find anything out of the usual," Dean said and Sam nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," Sam said as he glanced at the map before folding it up and slipping it into the glove compartment through the open window.

Dean finished pumping the gas then went inside to pay for it and came back out, ready to go. They all loaded up back into the Impala and Dean drove it away onto the interstate. The car ride was quiet, and within a few minutes of leaving the gas station, Adriana had woken up.

"I still can't believe you told Cassie," The blonde girl said and Dean sighed.

"It's over and done with, let it go, Drie," The oldest Winchester said and Sam turned around and nodded at Adriana, letting her know Dean was right and it was best to just drop the subject.

"It's not fair though. You lied to Jess, and I lied to Ben," She protested. Her and Sam had both had relationships where they had been close to people, but had had to lie to them about their lives. And Dean had dated someone for maybe a week and he had told her.

Ben was someone Adriana had met while they were on a hunt in Chicago, Illinois concerning a male spirit that targeted girls who had cheated on their boyfriends. Adriana had been seventeen at the time and Ben was twenty one who was attending college but also helping out at the local police station. She had been required to get to know him so they would be able to get any information they needed from the records without problems. They got the access they had wanted, and Adriana had started to like him.

Even after they had left the case, the two had kept in touch, developing a sort of long distance relationship. Whenever they had a case in a city near Chicago, he visited Adriana. But, the blonde had eventually ended it with him because she couldn't deal with lying to him and she knew she couldn't tell him the truth.

"It's not fair, but it happened," Sam said. "Arguing about it now isn't going to change anything except make it worse. We need to get along," He said and Adriana sighed, knowing he was right. She crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her seat. Dean breathed a sigh of relief as he pressed his foot to the gas pedal and sped the car up, and reaching the motel just as night began to fall. Once there, the blonde girl hopped out of the car first.

"I'll get the room," She said before walking away.

The others climbed out of the car and Dean popped open the trunk. Everyone grabbed their bag with Sam grabbing Adriana's pink duffel bag just as she came back out with the key card. She led the way to room 302 and slid the card into the key slot. When the little light turned green, she turned the door handle and pushed the door open.

She walked into a small room that was just like every other room they had occupied. Two beds were pressed almost right next to each other. There was a large window on the opposite wall of the door. A TV was on a stand against the wall across from the beds and a bedside table was against the wall between the beds, an alarm clock resting on top. There was a small room off to the left of the entrance door that led into the bathroom. This room was familiar to the four hunters and it was comfortable for them. It was just like all the others they had stayed in, and they called it home.

Sam set his and Adriana's bags on one of the beds while Athena set her stuff on the other. Dean placed his bags on a table before stretching, a yawn leaving his lips. "We need some sleep," Dean announced. "We'll leave here once we've found a new case to work on," He told the group. They all nodded in agreement and within a few minutes, they were each asleep, Sam and Adriana in the same bed, Athena taking up the other one and Dean sleeping on the floor.

With a few hours, however, Sam shot up out of bed, breathing heavily with little beads of sweat on his forehead. Adriana, whom Sam's arm had been wrapped around, was awoken by the youngest Winchester's sudden movements. He held his head in his hands, trying to catch his breath, looking like he had just come out of a nightmare. Adriana touched his shoulder softly, making sure he was okay.

"Sam?" She asked and he jumped out of bed, moving to wake up Dean.

"Dean. Dean," He called as he shook his older brother. Dean sat up sleepily on the floor and Sam moved on to pack up his bag.

"What are you doing, man?" Dean asked, rubbing his eyes. "It's the middle of the night."

"Sam?" Adriana called, this time a little louder. Athena sat up at the sound of voices and movements around her.

"We have to go," Sam said, not looking up from his packing.

"What's happening?" Dean asked, his voice taking on an alert tone to it.

"We have to go. Right now," Sam said as he slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door. Dean looked at Adriana who shrugged. She didn't know anymore about this than he did and Athena was certainly lost at what was going on. Sam walked out the door at that moment and Dean sighed as he stood up off the bed.

"Let's go," Dean said to the two girls as he grabbed his own bag and followed his brother out.

The two girls did the same, both in their clothes from last night. They all climbed into the Impala, with Dean driving, and pulled out of the motel after paying and checking out. The two girls had fallen asleep during the drive, but had since woken up while Sam was on the phone with someone from the Michigan state police.

"McReady," Sam told the person on the phone. "Detective McReady. Badge number 158. I've got a signal 480 in progress, I need the registered owner of a two-door Sedan, Michigan license plate: Mary-Frank-six-zero-three-seven." He paused while the person on the other end of the telephone processed all the information he had given them. "Yeah, okay. Just hurry."

"Sammy, relax. I'm sure it's just a nightmare," Dean reassured his little brother who had been freaking out since they had all left the motel.

He had had a nightmare about a man suffocating to death in his garage, an unknown force locking him in. Sam, being him, wanted to immediately go and check it out, see if he could help the person because he believed it wasn't just a nightmare, he thought it was another one of hi visions. Dean thought Sam was just spooked, but had agreed to check it out because Sam wanted to.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam sighed.

"I mean it," Dean began. "Y'know. A normal, everyday, naked-in-class, nightmare. This license plate, it won't check out. You'll see."

Sam shook his head. "It felt different, Dean. Real. Like when I dreamt about our old house. And Jessica," He said.

"Yeah, but those make sense. You're dreaming about _our_ house, _your_ girlfriend," Dean said. "This guy in your dream, you ever see him before?"

Sam sighed then shook his head. "No."

"No. Exactly," Dean said. "Why would you have premonitions about some random dude in Michigan?" He asked.

Sam sighed. "I don't know."

"Me neither," Dean told him.

The person on the line came back and Sam sat up straighter. "Yes, I'm here." He listened to the person on the line before glancing at Dean then picked up his pen and began to write down what the person was telling him. "Jim Miller. Saginaw, Michigan. You have a street address?" After the person gave it to him, he hung up after saying thank you. "It checks out," He told Dean while the two girls in the back listened. "How far are we?"

"From Saginaw?" Dean asked. "A couple of hours."

"Drive faster," Sam replied.

Dean pushed his foot more into the accelerator as the car sped faster. Adriana leaned forward and placed her small hand on Sam's shoulder. She glanced at Athena who shrugged. The rest of the drive was quiet, as a heavy, tense silence hung over them. Dean was obviously skeptical of this so called dream but not even Athena made sarcastic remarks. When Sam was serious about something, he was deadly serious.

The Impala slowed as they cruised through their destination town. As they slowed to a stop down the street opposite the house, an emergency vehicle sat idling in the driveway as a body was zipped in a bag. Sam's hands clenched more into fists. He was visibly upset and Dean turned back and glanced at Adriana, who seemed to be in equal shock and worry. Athena seemed to be mildly surveying the crime scene before opening the door and climbing out. She made her way over to the crowd before the rest of the group followed. She came up behind a random woman.

"What happened?" She asked, lowering her tone and adopting a somber voice. The woman turned briefly before looking back.

"Suicide. Can't believe it." Dean walked up on the other side of the woman.

"Did you know them?" The woman nodded gravely.

"Saw him every Sunday at St. Augustine's. He always seems... seemed so normal. I guess you never really know what's going on behind closed doors." Athena glanced at Dean before back at Sam and Adriana. They were standing a little away from the two.

"Guess not," she replied before looking back straight ahead.

"How did... ahhh, how are they saying it happened?" Dean asked uncomfortably.

"I heard they found him in his car, the doors locked with the engine running." Dean winced a little before looking at his brother. Athena didn't notice as Sam and Adriana stepped up to the two, listening.

"Do you know what time they found him?" she asked.

"Oh it just happened about an hour or two ago. His poor family" the woman told her, sighing. I can't imagine what they're going through."

Athena's gaze travelled to a woman and a man, standing on the doorstep of the house. She was clearly distraught as she leaned into the man for support. Behind them was a male about Sam's age, his face distorted. Sam followed her gaze and caught sight of the boy. His face hardened and he stepped back again, turning to walk back to the car. Dean immediately followed, leaning against the Impala's hood.

"Sam, we got here as fast as we could."

"Not fast enough," Sam stated shaking his head. "It doesn't make any sense, man. Why would I even have these premonitions if there wasn't a chance I could stop them from beginning?" He asked.

"I dunno," Dean said.

"So, what do you think killed him?" Sam asked.

"Maybe the guy just killed himself?" Athena suggested. "Maybe there's nothing supernatural going on at all?"

"I'm telling you guys, I watched it happen. He was murdered by something. I watched it trap him in the garage," Sam stated adamantly.

"So what was it? A spirit, poltergeist, what?" Adriana asked quietly.

"I don't know what it was," Sam snapped a little, getting annoyed with all the questioning and disbelief he seemed to be getting his way. "I don't know why I'm having these dreams," He added. "And I don't know what the hell's happening here, Dean," He stated when he saw Dean about to say something. Dean stared at Sam for a moment and Sam narrowed his eyes. "What?" He snapped.

Dean shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just worried about you, man."

"Well, don't look at me like that!" Sam exclaimed.

"I'm not looking at you like anything," Dean said as he glanced away for a moment before looking back at his little brother. "Though I gotta say, you do look like crap."

Sam rolled his eyes and Adriana smiled at Dean's attempts at a joke. "Nice. Thanks," Sam said sarcastically.

"Come on," Dean said as he opened the car door. "Let's just pick this back up in the morning. We'll check out the house, interview the family, that sorta thing," He said.

"Dean, you saw them. They were devastated. They're not gonna want to talk to us," Adriana told him as she shook her head.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He paused in thought then grinned. "But I bet I know who they will talk to."

Athena gave him a look. "Who?" She asked and Dean simply smirked as he got in the Impala and waited for the others to get in the car so he could leave and get back to the motel room to get some sleep. "Dean, who are we going as?" She asked again, but Dean refused to answer her. Instead, the second he walked in through the motel room, he fell onto one of the beds, sleep hitting him instantly.

If Athena hadn't been just as tired, she would have woken him up and demanded an answer, but she was tired. So, she let it go and all four hunters fell asleep only to be awakened in a few short hours the next morning. Sam, Adriana and Athena were sitting out in the room waiting for Dean to finish getting ready.

"Any idea how we're going to talk to that family?" Adriana asked as she sat back against the pillows on one of the beds.

Sam shook his head. "No idea," He said. "But knowing Dean, it can't be good," He said.

"Or knowing Dean, it will be _far_ too good," Athena commented with a smirk.

The door to the bathroom opened and Dean stepped out. Everyone stared at him. He was wearing a black suit, his hair was slicked back neatly and he had a silver ring on his hand. Around his neck was a white dog collar. Adriana, the most people-sensitive member was the first to regain the spoken word.

"Dean! You can't impersonate a priest! That's a sin against God!" she said, while Dean spun, his lips curved into a smirk. Sam just shook his head and looked up at the ceiling, knowing he would have to be the other priest.

"Drie, we're trying to help this family. What do priests do? Help families," Dean said, trying to rationalize with her.

"I can't believe you actually had enough brains to think this up," Athena commented. Dean narrowed his eyes at her.

"Watch out, Thena, I might pray to our Father and get him to smite you," he said, finishing his sentence with a cocky wink. She snorted.

"Sam, get yourself dolled up, we gotta get this show on the road." Sam reluctantly climbed off the bed, grabbing the other bag Dean had and going into the bathroom. He emerged, looking highly uncomfortable but just as priestly as Dean. Adriana giggled at the sight of him.

"So, great. You and Sam are priests, what are Athena and I supposed to do?" Adriana questioned Dean as she fixed him with a look. "And if you say we're going as nuns, I will slap you."

"Nuns..." Dean said, his voice musing. "I should've thought of that."

"So we're not going as nuns? Sweet," Adriana said, breathing a sigh of relief. "But you're not telling me what we're doing."

"I hadn't thought that far ahead yet," Dean said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I figured you two could just sorta show up..."

Adriana rolled her eyes. "Show up to a family's home who just lost someone they care about?" Adriana questioned him. "Dean, come on. Think."

"I'm trying!" Dean protested.

"Not hard enough."

"Shut up Thena. You think up an idea."

"Well, how about you two go and we'll do some research into these nightmares?" Adriana offered before it could escalate. Athena glared at her.

"Oh goodie. We just love doing research."

"It's either that or be a nun, something I don't think you're quite capable of." Athena's mouth fell open, staring at the small blonde, who giggled a bit.

"Fine," Athena said, blushing slightly which was unusual. "We'll do research. Go be Godly," she said, dismissing the two boys with a wave of her hand.

"We'll try our best," Dean said before stepping out. Sam stepped out of the bathroom in his priest gear, quickly following him out the door as to get as little ribbing as possible. Adriana and Athena watched them pull away.

"What sort of priest drives an Impala?" Athena muttered before grabbing Sam's laptop and booting it up. Adriana grabbed a stack of books.

"So we're looking for nightmares, psychic connections, dream connections, anything like that."

_~Far Away~_

Meanwhile, Sam and Dean had reached the Miller house. Dean reached forward to knock on the door as Sam nervously smoothed his hair one more time.

"This has got to be an all new low, even for us," Sam said to his brother. Dean smirked at him but changed his face to the appropriate somber expression when the door was open.

"Good afternoon. I'm Father Simmons, this is Father Frehley. We're new Junior priests over at St. Augustine's. May we come in?" Dean asked smoothly. The man nodded and stepped back, pulling the door open to let them in.

"Thank you," Dean said as he stepped inside. He immediately began scanning the house for anything unusual.

"We're very sorry for your loss," Sam told the man.

"It's in difficult times like these when the Lord's guidance is needed most," Dean added, nodding earnestly.

"Look," The man began, a harsh tone in his voice. "You wanna pitch your whole "The Lord has a plan" thing? Fine. Just don't pitch it to me. My brother's dead," He said as an older lady walked into the room.

"Roger!" She exclaimed. "Please!"

Roger glared. "Excuse me," He said before exiting the room.

"I'm sorry about my brother-in-law," The lady said. "He's... He's just so upset about Jim's death," She said quietly. "I'm Alice Miller, by the way." She paused. "Would you like some coffee?"

Dean nodded. "That would be great."She led the way through into a lounge and Dean and Sam took a seat.

"It was wonderful of you to stop by," she said to them sincerely. "The support of the church means so much to us." Dean smiled up at her.

"Of course. After all, we are all God's children." She smiled at him and walked out of the room. Dean reached forward and grabbed a couple of cocktail sausages out of a bowl and chewed while smiling, only to look up and find Sam shaking his head at him.

"What?"

"Just... tone it down a bit?" Sam asked warily. It was so typical of his brother to overcompensate.  
"Father," he added as Alice Miller walked back into the room.

"So, Ms Miller, did your husband have a history of depression?" Dean asked simply, trying to abide by Sam's rules.

"Nothing like that," she began before choking a little. She paused, trying to gather herself, and Dean and Sam waited patiently, having been in this situation many times. "We had our ups and downs just like everyone else but we were happy," she continued, her voice cracking at the end. "I just don't understand how Jim could do something like this."

"I'm so sorry you had to find him like this," Sam said, and meant it. If only he'd had the dream a little sooner, he might have been able to save this family. Dean glanced at his brother, following his thoughts.

"Actually our son Max was the one who found him," she said, turning and gesturing to a teenage boy in the corner of the room.

"Do you mind if... I go and talk to him?" Sam asked hesitantly. Alice's face broke into relief.

"Oh thank you Father!" Sam stood and walked across the room to the boy. Dean watched him go before turning back to Alice Miller.

"Ms. Miller, you have a lovely home. How long have you lived here?" he asked.

"We moved in about five years ago," she told him.

"The only problem with old houses like these, I bet you have all kinds of headaches," Dean said sympathetically. She frowned.

"Like what?" she asked, a confused tone entering her voice.

"Well, weird leaks, electrical shortages, odd settling noises at night. That kind of thing?"

"No, nothing like that. It's been perfect," she told him and Dean nodded.

"Could I use your restroom?" he asked after a moment. She nodded.

"Sure, it's just up the stairs." Dean nodded his thanks and stood, grabbing another cocktail sausage.

_~Far Away~_

Meanwhile, Sam was still talking to the boy, Max.

"So what was your dad like?" he was asking him. Max raised his shoulders slightly before letting them slump again.

"Just a normal dad," he said in a monotone.

"You live at home now?" Sam asked, trying to keep the tone light.

"Yeah. Trying to save up for school but that's hard." A silence fell over the two for a moment.

"So, when you found your dad..." Sam started gently.

"I woke up, heard an engine running." Another long paused stretched over them. "I don't know why he did it."

"I know. It's rough losing a parent," Sam said, trying not to think about his own experiences. "Especially when you don't have all the answers.

Since Dean had to got up to "go to the restroom", he'd quickly scanned the top floor. When he knew it was clear, he pulled out an infra-red scanner and began searching for anything out of the ordinary. The sound of footsteps made him glance up and hastily shove the scanner into his pocket. He let out a sigh of relief when Sam rounded the corner.

"Anything?" he asked expectantly. Dean shook his head.

"Zip. Nada. Nothing. Nul," Dean said to get the point across. Sam rolled his eyes and they made their way back down the stairs.

"So the place is clean, what happened with the kid?" Dean asked Sam as they moved through the house.

"He's shaken up but he doesn't know anything," was all Sam said in response. Dean nodded before moving to find Ms Miller.

"Ms. Miller, we're terribly sorry but God calls," Dean told her apologetically. She nodded understandingly.

"Thank you so much for your support, Fathers. God bless you," she added as they made their way to the front door. Once outside, Dean breathed a sigh of relief and tugged his dog collar free.

"Thank the Lord that's over," he said "And a fat lot of good it did us." They crossed the street and slid into the Impala, Dean quickly gunning the engine and pulling away.

_~Far Away~_

Back in the room, Athena was bored out of her mind. Adriana was still studiously working through the books but Athena suspected an ulterior motive: Adriana liked Sam and was prepared to do anything to support him.

"Do you ever get bored?" she asked as Adriana flipped another page. She glanced up at her, grey eyes meeting blue ones.

"I do," she answered shortly. Athena rolled her eyes.

"Drie, if we haven't found anything so far, what makes you think we will in the next, oh however long it takes Dean to get sick of his virgin act."

"Do you have to be so negative all the time?" Adriana asked sharply, not looking up from her page. Athena raised her eyebrows. "I mean, I thought this is what you wanted."

"I did want this, I just didn't want... this," she said, trailing off and gesturing to her surroundings. Now Adriana glanced up and raised her eyebrows.

"You do realise, that in order to do our job, people have to get hurt and die?" she asked.

"Of course I realise," Athena answered primly, before sighing and dragging a book off the top of Adriana's pile.

"The sooner we find something, the sooner we can move on." That was the last thing that was said before the girls lapsed back into silence, searching for any mystery explanation. A few minutes later the door opened and Dean and Sam walked back in still wearing their Priest outfits they had on earlier that day.

"I'm starving," Dean said as he entered and closed the door behind him.

"Back so soon, Fathers," Adriana stated teasingly as she glanced up at them and winked and Dean rolled his eyes at her.

"Shut up," He said as he grabbed some normal clothes out of his duffel bag and stalked into the bathroom to change. Sam sat on the bed beside Adriana.

"You find anything useful?" He asked.

"No," She said as she closed the book and tossed it a little ways away from her at the foot of the bed. "Nothing."

"There's nothing in the books or on the Internet that could help us," Athena stated as she also closed the book she had been looking through as Dean walked out of the bathroom in his normal clothes and his hair no longer slicked back.

"Well, maybe we just haven't looked through everything," Dean stated as Sam quickly moved off of the bed to go change as well. He emerged a few minutes later his hair back to normal and his everyday jeans and t-shirt on.

"We've looked, Dean," Adriana told him sighing as she laid back against the bed. "Nothing."

Sam sighed. "I'll go into the library and check out some stuff while you guys stay here? I'd ask one of you girls to come with me, but you've been all studied out," He said teasingly as he grabbed Dean's keys off of the table and walked out.

"I woulda gone with him," Adriana mumbled and Dean smirked at her as he leaned back against the bed she was sitting on.

"Of course you would have," He stated. "You two looking for a little more alone time?" He questioned her teasingly and she glared at him.

"Go to Hell," She said as she hit him with a pillow.

Dean simply sat back and turned on the television, ignoring her. Adriana rolled her eyes as she also sat back and watched it. Athena, not too happy with how close Adriana and Dean were, crossed her arms over her chest, grumbling about it. A few hours later, Sam walked back into the motel, no books or papers in his arms.

"What do you have?" Dean asked Sam as he glanced up from cleaning his guns, something he had decided to do to occupy his time.

"A whole lotta nothing," Sam said as he sat beside Adriana again. "Nothing bad has happened in the Miller house since it was built," He replied.

"Nothing?" Athena asked him and he shook his head.

"Nothing," He confirmed.

"What about the land?" Dean asked.

"No graveyards, battlefields, tribal lands or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property," Sam replied defeated.

"Hey, man, I told you I searched that house up and down. No cold spots, sulfer scent... nothing," Dean replied to him. "Nada."

"And the family said everything was normal?" Athena asked, moving to sit in a chair so she was closer to the conversation that was taking place.

"Well, you think if there was a spirit or poltergeist in the house somebody would have noticed something?" Dean questioned. "I used the infrared thermal scanner, and there was nothing," He said.

"So, what? You think Jim Miller killed himself and my dream was just some sort freakish coincidence?" Sam questioned.

"I dunno, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing supernatural about that house," Dean told him.

Sam nodded as he started to rub his temples. "Yeah, well... maybe it has nothing to do with the house," He said before taking a sharp intake of breath as he held his head in his hands. Adriana glanced at him concerned. "Maybe it's just..." He took another deep breath. "Maybe it's connected to Jim in some way?"

"What's wrong with you?" Dean asked as he looked up at his little brother.

Sam cried out in pain before sinking from off of the bed into a sitting position on the floor, leaning back against the bed for support. Adriana immediately dropped down beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. When he did nothing, but make another pained noise, Adriana cupped his head, turning him to look at her.

"Sam? Sam!" She called out to him. "You okay?" She asked softly, trying to get his attention as Dean was immediately in front of his little brother.

"Sam, hey? You okay? Talk to me," Dean said as he stared at his brother not knowing what to do as Sam suddenly froze for a moment before looking at his older brother.

"It's happening again," Sam whispered, his voice deathly quiet, like if he spoke too loud it would hurt his head. "Something's gonna kill Roger Miller."

"What do you mean, Sam?" Adriana asked, her voice clearly showing her worry. He shook his head, wincing and closing his eyes as he did so.

"I can't explain it, Drie, but you have to trust me. It's the same..." He looked up at her pleadingly and she nodded.

"It's okay, Sammy. We believe you," she said soothingly. "What do you want us to do?"

"We have to get to his house and check he's okay," Sam said, his face still set in grim determination. Dean shared a look with Adriana before turning to glance at Athena. Her face was emotionless and she stood and grabbed the keys. She slung them across the room to Dean, who caught them skillfully.

"Let's go then," she said, an impatient tone creeping into her voice.

Dean nodded and walked out of the room. Adriana and Sam followed, the small blonde's eyes never leaving Sam as if he might keel over at any moment. Athena locked the door as the exited it and they made their way down to the Impala quickly. Dean gunned the engine before tearing away.

"Find the address", Sam said, continuing to hold his head. Dean passed Athena his phone and she hit a few buttons before holding the phone to her ear.

"Roger Miller," she said urgently after a few seconds. "No, I don't bloody need his number, just his address," she snapped. Athena clearly didn't have much patience for phone operators. She nodded before snapping the phone shut and turned to Dean.

"450 West Grove, Apartment 1120," she told him before glancing back at Sam and Adriana.

"Was it the same this time?" she asked. Sam looked at her, confused for a moment. "The vision or nightmare thing... was it the same thing as last time?" Sam nodded.

"I mean, obviously it's a different person and a different situation but essentially it's the same," he said. A heavy silence hung over the car for a moment. "And they both end up dead." Athena rolled her eyes as she turned back to the front.

"Cheery thought," she commented. Sam groaned again and pressed his fingers into his temple harder. At this noise, Dean glanced back worriedly.

"You okay?" he asked, trying to focus on his little brother and the road at the same time.

"Yeah," Sam replied without looking up. Adriana said nothing, simply taking his hand in hers.

"If you're gonna hurl, I'll pull the car over, 'cause you know, the upholstery..." Sam snorted, even in pain and Adriana shot him a dirty look in the rear view mirror.

"Glad to know you care, Dean" she said icily. Dean grinned cheerily at her, continuing to drive. Sam finally took his hands away from his face and glanced sideways to Adriana.

"Drie, I'm scared," he said, his voice shaking slightly. She frowned at this admission but said nothing. "These nightmares weren't bad enough, now I'm seeing things when I'm awake? And these, visions, or whatever, they're getting more intense. And painful."

"Sam you'll be fine," she said in a soft voice, squeezing his hand. "I promise."

"What is it about the Millers? Why am I connected to them, why am I watching them die? Why the hell is this happening to me?" His voice cracked slightly on the last sentence and Adriana glanced helplessly up at Dean before looking back to the younger brother.

"I don't know Sammy but we'll figure it out. We've faced the unexplainable every day. This is just another thing. We have to treat it as if it's nothing," Adriana told him, although she was trying to convince him as well as herself. Truth be told, what was happening to Sam scared her as well. When Sam was upset, it made her upset because she didn't know how to help him.

"No." His voice was almost lost. "It's never been us. It's never been you or Dean or me. Tell the truth, you can't tell me this doesn't freak you out." There was a long pause as their eyes met.

"This doesn't freak me out," Adriana said, looking at him with large, blue eyes.

"Don't lie to me Drie," he said softly straight after.

"This doesn't freak me out," Dean offered from the front seat. Sam rolled his eyes and flopped back in the Impala's seat. The pain had mainly gone but he still had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. What if he was too late?

"Anyone ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop, Dean?"

"They told me but I chose not to listen," Dean replied to his younger brother.

"Do you take _anything_ seriously?" Adriana asked after another moment. Dean raised his eyebrows at her before any humour faded off his face.

"Yes I do," he said.

The only noise after that was the hum of the Impala's engine. Dean gripped the wheel and swung it down West Grove Avenue. The Impala pulled to a stop just as Roger Miller climbed out of his own car, holding two bags of groceries in his hands. Dean wound the window down.

"Hey Roger," he called to get the other man's attention. Roger Miller turned and saw them before his eyes narrowed and he stepped away.

"What are you guys, missionaries? Leave me alone!" he said, beginning to move faster and faster away from them.

"Please..." Dean called, trailing off as he realised Roger Miller had gone. Dean wrenched the steering wheel, forcing the Impala up onto the sidewalk and killed the engine. Sam climbed out of the car and immediately began running.

"Hey Roger. We're trying to help!" Sam called as he moved along the pavement, trying to reason with him. The girls both climbed out of the car, following Sam's path straight away.

"Please," Adriana added, her voice desperate.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Sam said as he ran up the steps to a door. It shut in his face just as he reached it and Roger Miller turned to face him.

"I don't want your help!" he said before turning to walk further into the building.

"They're not priests!" Adriana called as she banged once on the door. "Come on! We're trying to help you!"

"You gotta listen to us! You're in danger!" Dean shouted after him, but the guy was already gone around the corner. "Come on..." He groaned as he looked around. He took off running around the back of the building and the others followed after him.

Dean had stopped at a back entrance that led into the building. It was a poorly made fence with boards holding it together. Dean tried to push it open, but it didn't move. He took a step back and kicked it open before rushing through into the tiny alley and stopped at the stairs on the side of the building. Sam jumped up and grabbed the top rung before pulling himself up onto the stairs and moving up. Dean pushed himself up by using the fence behind him before following Sam. Adriana couldn't have climbed up the stairs even if she wanted to, so she stayed down on the ground below the stairs with Athena.

"Has Sam ever done anything like this before?" Athena asked glancing at the blonde girl.

"Anything like what?" Adriana asked.

"Like... this. The visions," Athena said.

Adriana shook her head. "No... Not that I've known." She sighed glancing down at her hands in front of her. "I've never seen him this scared about anything..."

"And Dean?"

Adriana glanced up at the dark-haired beauty, trying to judge why the question was asked. Whether it was because she worried about the emerald-eyed hunter and cared, or if it was because she was just genuinely curious, Adriana couldn't tell. She decided it was probably a little of both.

"Dean doesn't... scare easily, unless he feels his family is in danger," She replied. Trying to explain Dean and his behaviors and actions wasn't easy. It was almost like explaining an inside joke to someone who wasn't there when it happened, it wasn't easy.

"I think that's the case with most people," Athena said as she glanced up to see how the two boys were doing. She could see that they had stopped on the stairs, but couldn't tell what they were doing.

"Dean's... different. He doesn't like admitting weaknesses or failures..." Adriana told her. "I don't know... he's complicated."

"No kidding," Athena commented.

"You like him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Adriana knew the other girl had feelings for Dean. Whether or not she'd admit it was a different story. Her and Dean were alike, when the blonde thought about it. Neither liked to admit weaknesses, neither liked to admit feelings and neither liked to be beaten-at anything.

"I don't," Athena lied and Adriana shook her head.

"You can only lie to yourself for so long," The blonde said just as the two brothers hopped off of the stairwell they had been on. "Roger Miller-"

Dean shook his head. "No." He sighed. "He didn't make it," He added. "Come on. Let's get out of here before the cops show up." He led the way out of the small alley and everyone followed, Adriana hanging back to talk with Sam who was lagging behind.

"You okay?" She asked him and he shrugged.

"I don't know what's going on, Adrie. I don't know what's happening to me," He said, his voice quiet and scared.

"Nothing's happening to you. You're fine. We'll figure this out," She told him. She slid her hand into his and leaned against him. "Don't worry about it." Somehow, feeling the blonde beside him made some of his fear and tension slide away. He nodded his head and sighed before he dragged her to catch up to Dean and Athena where Dean was rolling his eyes before snapping out a reply.

"I'm telling you there was nothing in there. No signs either, just like the Miller's house." Apparently Athena had been asking Dean what he had found in the house about twenty times, not liking any of the other answers he had given her prior.

"I saw something in the vision, like a dark shape... Something was stalking Roger Miller," Sam said once he and Adriana had caught up.

"Whatever it was, we can be sure it's not connected to the Miller house," Dean stated then held out a hand to stop the others from stepping into the road and getting hit by a car. Once the car had passed, Dean stepped into the street and walked over to the Impala.

"No, it's connected to the family themselves," Sam said as Dean opened the driver side door. "So, what do you think? A vengeful spirit?"

Dean shrugged. "Well, yeah... there's a few that have been known to latch onto families," He said as he got into the car. "You know, follow them for years."

Sam nodded as he climbed in as well and the girls got in the back. "Yeah. Angiak, banshees," Adriana listed and Dean nodded to her.

"Yeah, just to name a few," He said. "Basically, like a curse," He added. "So, maybe Roger and Jim Miller got involved in something heavy, something curse worthy?" He suggested.

"And now something is out for revenge," Sam stated, following his train of thought. "And the men in their family are dying."

"You think Max is in danger?" Athena asked.

"Let's figure it out before he is," Dean said as he started the Impala and drove away back to the motel room. They would get a few hours of sleep, like three or four, then head back over to the Miller's house and start investigating further.

"Well, I know one thing I have in common with these people," Sam commented and Dean glanced sideways at him.

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"Both our families are cursed," Sam stated.

"Our families are not cursed!" Dean protested. "We just... had our dark spots," He said.

"Our dark spots are... pretty dark," Sam said and Dean glanced at him.

"You're... dark," He said quietly as he tried to think of a good comeback but it didn't work out so well and Adriana laughed.

"Nice, Dean. You think of that one all by yourself?" She questioned and Dean glared at her from the rearview mirror.

"Shut up," He said. The rest of the car ride was in silence and Dean pulled into the parking lot of the motel they were staying at. He turned off the car and led the way into the motel where he fell onto one of the beds, exhaustion hitting him hard. The others were just as tired and sleep came to them quickly as well.

The next day, after everyone had gotten up and ready for the day, Dean had driven over to the Miller's house. He had practically shoved Adriana out of the car, telling her to go be friendly and get information. She had glared at him and made some snide comment about how he was never cut out to be a priest anyways before walking up the path to the Miller's house and knocking on the door. She stood back with her hands in her pocket. While she waited for the door to open, she tried to think up a believable story. When someone answered the door, she still hadn't come up with a story and had to wing it.

"Hi," She said, smiling at Max. "I just moved in a few houses down, and I heard about your uncle," She told him, her voice soft and sympathetic. "I wanted to say I'm sorry... it can't be easy, especially right after losing your dad."

He nodded his head. "It's been hard..."

"Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ashley." She shook her head, like it was at herself for forgetting her name, keeping the ditzy blonde act on.

"Max."

"I know what's it like to lose a family member... I lost my dad when I was young." She gave him a soft, sympathetic smile. "I mean... I guess, I guess it's not really the same thing... I was young so it's not really the same-I should probably just stop talking," She said, pretending to embarrassed and twirled a piece of her curly hair around her finger.

He shook his head. "No, no... it's okay."

"Well, I just wanted to ask if maybe I could bake something to help out?" She asked him and he gave a small smile.

"As long as it's not a casserole," He said and motioned inside to a table full of dishes covered with aluminum foil. "We've got plenty of those. Apparently nothing says 'I'm sorry' like tuna casserole," He joked and she giggled.

"I'll keep that in mind." She paused and glanced down. "So... how are you holding up?" She asked him quietly and he shrugged.

"Okay. I guess."

"Your dad and your uncle... were they close?"

"Yeah, I guess... I mean, they were brothers. They used to hang out all the time when I was little," He explained and she nodded.

"That must've been nice, having your uncle around a lot," She said and he shrugged again. She paused. "They didn't hang out much recently, did they?"

He shook his head. "No... it's not that... We used to be neighbors," He said. "We lived across town in this house and he was next door. He came over all the time."

"How was it in that house when you were a kid?" Adriana asked. Max gave her a weird look, but answered anyways.

"It was fine..." He paused. "Why?"

"All good memories?" She asked and again he gave her a weird look.

"Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "Just a question, sorry if it's too personal," She said.

"No, there was nothing. We were totally normal. Happy," He told her and she smiled at him.

"That's good. Well, I should probably go. I've got tests to study for and cleaning to do and what not. And you look kinda exhausted, so I'll let you go." She smiled at him again. "If you need anything just call, okay?"

Max nodded. "Yeah... I've got a pen..." He motioned for her to follow him inside then closed the door behind her. He found a pen in the kitchen and handed it to her. "I don't know where paper is..." He glanced around, but she took his hand in hers.

"That's okay," She said as she wrote her number down on his palm and smiled before handing him back the pen. "Give me a call if you need anything," She added before walking out of the house and over to the Impala.


	19. Not The Only One

By the time she got there, her pretty face was frowning. No one had a family that happy or normal. She pulled open the door, still thinking it over.

"How'd it go?" Dean asked leaning and looking behind. She glanced up at him.

"Sorry, what did you say? I was thinking."

He smirked. "Always a dangerous thing for a blonde."

Adriana glared in response. "You know, there are some days when I'm really not in the mood for your cute one liners," She said. Dean raised his eyebrows.

"You mean you appreciate my "cute one liners" some days? I'll have to use them more now I know this." Sam whacked his brother on the arm,

"How did it go, Drie?" He asked, in softer voice, trying to ignore his brother.

"It went fine... which is the worrying thing." She quickly explained with what had happened, ending with how he'd looked when he'd mentioned his old house.

"He looked scared?" Sam asked to clarify. Adriana nodded closing her eyes briefly while she ran some possibilities over in her mind.

"We should go back to his old neighbourhood. See if there was anything happening that we need to know about."

Sam nodded in agreement and Dean rolled his eyes. Athena had been remarkably quiet over this discussion and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes as Dean pulled away. Sam dialled the phone company, quickly locating the suburb where the Millers used to live. Dean slowed the Impala to a crawl as they drove along the main street. Sam's eyes scanned the rows of houses, looking for anyone they could talk to.

"There," he said, pointing to a man gardening along the sidewalk. Dean nodded before skilfully manoeuvring the Impala onto the side of the road. Athena and Sam got out, making their way over to the man.

"Hi," Athena said when they were within earshot. The man glanced up, looking at them.

"Hello there," he said. "Can I help you?" Athena nodded.

"Have you lived in the neighbourhood long?" she asked, subtle as always. He inclined his head in reply.

"Yes. I've lived here," he said, turning to indicate the house behind him, "for almost twenty years. It's nice and quiet here. Why, you two looking to shack up?" Athena snorted while Sam managed to keep his emotions under control.

"No, no, actually, we were wondering if you might recall a family that used to live right across the street I believe?" he said. He glanced at Athena.

"Yeah the Millers," she drawled. "They had a little boy called Max."

"Right," Sam said before turning back to the man.

"I remember. The brother had the place next door. So uh, what's this about, is that poor kid okay?" At the words 'poor kid' Sam instantly became more alert.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, concern entering his voice. The man shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well in my life I've never seen a child treated like that. I mean I'd hear Mr. Miller yelling and throwing things clear across the street, he was a mean drunk. He used to beat the tar outta Max. Bruises. Broke his arm two times that I know of." There was a pause after he said this.

"Was this going on regularly?" Sam asked. Athena studied him. Something had changed in his voice. He seemed to be forcing himself to stay under control.

"Practically every day," the man said sadly. "In fact that thug brother of his was just as likely to take a swing at the boy but the worst part was the stepmother. She'd just stand there, checked out, not lifting a finger to protect him. I must have called the police seven or eight times. Never did any good." Athena held up a finger after he'd said this, frowning.

"Now you said step mother?" She asked. The man nodded.

"I think his real mother died. Some sort... accident. Car accident I think. I'm not really sure", he replied. Athena nodded. As she did so, she noticed Sam lifting a hand to his head, his expression twisting. She looked over her shoulder at the Impala still parked there. Someone inside must have noticed her gaze because a door opened. The man noticed Sam's expression. "You okay there?" he asked. Sam nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine," he said, unconvincingly. Athena slid her arms around his shoulder helping to keep him upright. It felt odd holding Sam.

"Thanks for your time," she said as she hurried across the road, Sam leaning all his weight on her.

"God," he said before collapsing completely in the middle of the road. Adriana, who had pushed open the door earlier, immediately got out of the car and rushed over. Dean wasn't far behind her.

"Is he okay? What happened?" she asked rapidly. Athena backed away from him as Dean lifted him and carried him to the car.

"I don't know. We were just talking when he suddenly looked like he did last time he had a vision..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say. Dean laid him across the back seat of the Impala. Adriana climbed in after him, resting Sam's head in her lap.

"What'd you learn?" he asked as he rapidly pulled away.

"He was abused." There was a silence for a couple of seconds. "His dad and his uncle beat him every day. And what's worse is that his _step_mother did nothing." Athena put emphasis on the word 'step' so they would pick up the difference. There was another pause.

"That poor kid," Adriana said, the first to break the silence. Dean nodded his agreement grimly. The hum of the motor filled the car as Adriana placed her hand over Sam's forehead. He wasn't hot and he didn't have any symptoms. That's what scared her the most. How could she help him if she didn't know what she was helping him with? He stirred and blinked his eyes before sitting bolt upright.

"Whoa, whoa," she said, placing her arm on his shoulder. "Take it easy?" she asked him as he blinked again, dizzily.

"I passed out, didn't I?" he asked. She nodded her head, biting her lip.

"What'd you see?" Athena asked.

"Max is doing it," he said. "Everything I've been seeing."

"You sure about this?" Dean asked instantly, ever the skeptic.

"Yes," Sam said with conviction. "I saw him."

"Well how's he pulling it off?" Athena asked, her tone mirroring Dean's. Sam shrugged.

"I don't know, telekinesis?" Athena rolled her eyes and Sam glared at her.

"Glad to see you take this as seriously as you did the idea of us cohabitating," he snapped. Adriana frowned, perplexed. Athena merely gave a dramatic sigh.

"Can we try and stay focused _Sammy_?"

"So.. he's psychic? A spoon bender?" Dean asked, working through his brother's words while they were bickering.

"I didn't even realise it but this whole time he was there." Adriana's frown grew deeper and deeper as he kept talking. "He was outside the garage when his Dad died, outside the apartment when his Uncle died. These visions, this whole time. I wasn't connecting to the Millers, I was connecting to Max! The thing is I don't get why, man." Sam turned to Dean before offering his final theory. "I guess because we're so alike?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked. "The dude's nothing like you!"

"Well, we both have psychic abilities, we both..."

"Both what? Sam, Max is a monster, he's already killed two people, now he's gunning for a third." Adriana decided to say something but decided against it. She could see where Sam was coming from. She didn't think that Max was a monster but she didn't think that Sam was like him at all.

"Well, with what he went through, the beatings, to want revenge on those people? I'm sorry but it doesn't sound insane."

"To want revenge, sure, but to kill his own family, Sammy? That's gotta indicate a couple of screws loose."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, Dean," Sam said, his tone a bit harsh. Dean shook his head as he got into the driver's side and drove away towards Max's house after Athena got in the passenger side.

"It still doesn't justify murdering your own family!" Dean exclaimed.

"Dean..." Sam began in a warning tone but Dean cut him off as he pulled up to the curb in front of Max's house.

"He's not different from anything else we've hunted, all right?" Dean said. "We've gotta end him."

"He's not a thing, Dean," Adriana snapped. "We're not going to kill him."

"Then what?" Dean said harshly. "Hand him over to the cops and say lock him up officer, he kills with the power of his mind?"

"No way, forget it," Sam said.

"Sam..." Dean began in a warning tone as he turned off the car.

"Dean, he's a person!" Adriana exclaimed. "We can talk to him!" She said as they all got out of the car. But Dean wasn't listening. Sam grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

"Hey, promise me you'll follow my lead on this," Sam pleaded.

Dean paused for a long moment before sighing and nodding his head. "All right, fine. But I'm not letting him hurt anybody else," He said as he grabbed his gun from the glove compartment then locked the car back up.

"Thank you," Sam said as they walked up to the house. They could hear shouting and Dean glanced at Sam before kicking the door down. The ran through into the kitchen, where Mrs Miller and Max seemed to be having a confrontation.

"Fathers?" she asked confused. Upon hearing this, Adriana and Athena hung back, figuring it would be better to keep to a realistic back story while there was no real danger. Max glared at them, his face twisting.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice accusing.

"Ahh... sorry to interrupt," Dean said sheepishly, glancing around as if he _was_ sorry. He was actually scanning the room for anything odd or dangerous.

"Max can we talk to you outside for just one second?" Sam asked calmly. Max narrowed his eyes at them.

"What for?" he asked, suspicion apparent in his voice.

"It's private... We don't want to bother your mother with it," Sam said, shooting Mrs. Miller an apologetic glance. Max looked up at her before stepping away from her as Sam turned back to her. "We won't be long. I promise."

"Okay..." Max began, his voice quiet and cautious as he followed them to the door.

Dean and Sam turned towards the door where Adriana and Athena had been waiting patiently and quietly. Max gave Adriana a weird look when he recognized her, like he was trying to piece all of this together. Dean reached for the door but as he did so, his arm brushed his jacket open and Max spotted the butt of his pistol hooked on the side of his waistband. Dean opened the door about half an inch before the knob was yanked out of his hand, the door slamming shut. The window blinds all pulled down to cover the glass, and they were locked.

"You're not priests," Max said darkly as Dean started to pull his gun out from his waistband, but Max pulled it out of his hand and it landed on the floor, sliding far away from them.

"Max, what's happening?" Mrs. Miller asked as she stepped around the corner, her mouth dropping slightly at the sight before her.

"Shut up!" her stepson snapped, his voice cruel and harsh.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a slight note of panic entering her voice. Max turned on her and glared at her, before an unseen force lifted her and flung her into the breakfast bar. Her head cracked against it and she slid down it, unconscious.

"I said shut up," Max repeated, his voice devoid of emotion. Sam glanced at the woman before back at Max.

"Max, calm down," Sam said, trying to keep his voice even.

"Who are you?"

"We just want to talk," Sam continued in the same voice. Max rolled his eyes, his posture showing that he didn't believe them.

"Yeah right!" he snapped, pointing to the gun. "That's why you brought this!"

"That was a mistake all right? So was lying about who we were. But no more lying, Max, okay? Just please, hear me out." Sam was trying desperately to keep Max from doing anything stupid. However, at the moment, Adriana conveniently chose to walk in. Max stared at her before his face twisted.

"You say no more lying but then you bring her in! And she lied to me as well!" Max's voice sounded like he was going to lose it.

Adriana raised her hands in defense as Athena stepped in behind her. "We just wanna help, Max," The blonde said softly. "Sam and you aren't that different... just hear him out."

"About what?" Max asked, his voice slow and cautious.

"I saw you do it. I saw you kill your dad and your uncle before it happened," Sam told him, trying to make Max understand.

"What?" Max asked, confusion in his voice, but his eyes gave him away. He knew what Sam was talking about, his father and his uncle's deaths.

"I'm having visions, Max. About you," Sam said as he took a small step forward.

"You're crazy," Max told him but Sam shook his head.

"So what? You weren't gonna launch a knife at your stepmom?" Sam questioned, his voice slightly harsher than it had been before. He pointed to one of his eyes to indicate where he saw Max throw a knife at his stepmom. "Right here? Is it that hard to believe, Max? Look at what you can do? Max, I was drawn here, all right? I think I'm here to help you."

"No one can help me!" Max shouted, on the verge of tears.

"Let us try," Adriana said softly as she stepped towards him. "Just listen to Sam and he can help," She added. "You and Sam can talk." But it seemed Max had finally gone too far.

"No!" he yelled and the chandelier on the ceiling started to shake. Adriana glanced upwards, her concentration breaking for just a minute. It was all Max needed to flick his gaze onto her and send her skidding across the floor, slipping onto her front. Sam moved to her as Max just watched them with no emotion. Hearing the bang, Athena followed suit, coming into the room. Max narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar newcomer. Sam, seeing that he was about to do something drastic again, quickly spoke.

"No one has to leave this house, Max," he repeated. "But I just need to talk to you."

"Sam, I'm not leaving you alone with him," Dean said, looking at his brother who was holding Adriana against him protectively.

"Yes you are," he said, his tone determined. It softened as he turned back to the teenager. "Look, Max. You're in charge here, all right, we all know that. No one's going to do anything you don't want to do but I'm talking five minutes here man."

After he said this there was a long pause with only the movements of the crystals on the chandelier. He glanced around the room, first looking at his stepmom, then meeting Adriana's frightened but resilient eyes, then flicking up to Athena's hostile ones, where she stood apart with her arms crossed.

"Five minutes," he said and the crystals stopped clinking against each other. Sam nodded in relief, helping Adriana stand before watching Dean pick up Mrs Miller.

"I'm not leaving you Sam," Adriana told him, but Sam shook his head.

"You're definitely not staying here," Sam said, but Adriana had that stubborn look in her eyes right before she always got her way. "Drie, please don't try," He pleaded but she wasn't listening to him-nothing unusual.

"I'm staying."

"She stays. The others go," Max said speaking up and Sam turned his head quickly to look at the other teenager. The way Max saw it, she had lied just like everyone else so he didn't trust her anymore than them. But, if worst came to worst, he could use her as leverage against Sam since he obviously felt something towards her.

"No, she goes-" Sam began to say but Max glared and the chandelier began to shake again.

"I said she stays," He said and Sam raised his hands in defense towards the boy.

"Okay. You call the shots," He said then he glanced at Dean who was holding Mrs. Miller up, Athena beside him.

Dean nodded once at his brother and there were many things said in that nod. Look after yourself, be careful, keep Drie in your watch, don't do anything stupid... Many things communicated through just a simple gesture. Sam nodded back, letting him know he'd do everything he could to handle the situation. Then Dean was up the stairs, helping Mrs. Miller with Athena behind them.

"Why don't we sit down?" Adriana suggested and Max motioned to the lounge where a couch and an armchair was located.

Max sat in the armchair while Adriana and Sam sat in the couch. It was quiet for several moments before Max stared at a letter opener on the table in between them. It raised up on its point and began to twirl around. Adriana fiddled with the hem of her shirt nervously as Sam talked, also staring at the letting opener.

"Look, I can't begin to understand what you went through," He said softly and the letter opener fell onto the glass with a clink and Adriana jumped slightly. She was waiting for the worst to happen because Max was out of control and running on his emotions.

"That's right. You can't," Max snapped, his gaze hard.

"Max, this has to stop," He said and Max nodded.

"It will," He said and Sam seemed surprised that he was agreeing with him. "After my stepmother."

"No. You need to let her go," Sam said.

"Why?" Max aked harshly.

"Did she beat you?" He questioned.

"No. But, she never tried to save me. She's a part of it too."

"What they did to you, what they all did to you growing up, they deserve to be punished-" Adriana began to say, but Max cut her off.

"Growing up?" He questioned. "Try last week." He stood up and lifted his shirt to reveal bruises all across his chest and sides and Adriana gasped."My dad still hit me. Just in places people couldn't see. Old habits die hard I guess."

"I'm sorry," She whispered softly and she truly meant it. No one deserved to have their family do that to them. Family was supposed to be the one thing you could trust, the one thing you could rely on in your time of need. And Max's family hadn't been that.

"When I first found out I could move things it was a gift. My whole life I was helpless but now I had this. So last week Dad gets drunk. The first time in a long time. And he beats me to hell, first time in a long time. And then I knew what I had to do," Max explained.

"Why didn't you just leave?" Sam asked him.

"It wasn't about getting away. Just knowing they would still be out there. It was about... not being afraid. When my Dad used to look at me, there was hate in his eyes. Do you know what that feels like?" He questioned and Sam paused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No."

"He blamed me for everything. For his job, for his life, for my Mom's death," Max said.

"Why would he blame you for your Mom's death?" Adriana asked softly.

"Because she died in my nursery, while I was asleep in my crib. As if that makes it my fault," Max said and Adriana felt Sam tense up on the couch. She glanced at him and saw his eyes had widened in shock and his mouth was hanging open slightly. She took his hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze.

"She died in your nursery?" Sam asked, his voice quiet with shock.

"There was a fire. And he'd get drunk and babble on like she died in some insane way. He said that she burned up." Max paused as he came close to tears. "Pinned to the ceiling!" He exclaimed and Adriana's mouth hung open as well. That was exactly how Mary Winchester had died. Maybe there was something more than just powers connecting Max and Sam. Sam leaned forward, overcoming his shock.

"Listen to me Max. What your Dad said, about what happened to your Mom. It's real," He said urgently but Max was staring at him like he was crazy.

"What?"

"It happened to my Mom too, exactly the same. My nursery, my crib, my Dad saw her on the ceiling," Sam explained and Max scoffed.

"Your Dad must have been as drunk as mine," He commented bitterly.

"No, no. It's the same thing, Max. The same thing killed out mothers," Sam said quickly trying to get Max to understand and see reason.

"That's impossible," Max said quietly.

"This must be why I'm having visions during the day. Why they're getting more intense. Cause you and I must be connected in some way. Your abilities, they started 6-7 months ago right, out of the blue?" Sam had been talking more to himself but then the last part he addressed to Max.

"How'd you know that?" Max asked, his eyes narrowed curiously.

"Cause that's when my abilities started Max. Yours seem to me much further along but still, this has to mean something right? I mean for some reason, you and I...you and I were chosen." Sam shook his head. It was the only reasonable explanation for what was happening. Chosen for what? He didn't know, but they could figure that all out later.

"For what?" Max asked and Sam shook his head.

"I don't know. But Dean and I, my brother and I, we're hunting for your Mom's killer. We can find answers, answers that can help us both. But you gotta let us go Max. You gotta let your stepmother go," Sam said urgently, pleadingly. Adriana could tell that Max was starting to think about it and he looked like he might agree to it. Then he shook his head.

"No. What they did to me. I still have nightmares. I'm so scared all the time, like I'm just waiting for that next beating. I'm so sick of being scared all the time, I just want this to be over!" He shouted and Adriana jumped in her seat again at his raised voice.

"It won't. Don't you get it? The nightmares won't end, Max. Not like this. It's just, more pain. And it makes you as bad as them. Max, you don't have to go through all this by yourself!" Sam pleaded, trying to get through to him. His life depended upon it. Adriana's life depended upon it. So did Dean's and Athena's and Max's stepmother. They were all counting on him to get Max to see reason, to get him to let them all go and forget this whole thing.

All Max did was shake his head sadly at Sam. "I'm sorry" he said before he flung Sam and Adriana backwards, into the hall cupboard. The doors slammed behind them. A heavy book shelf levitated itself in front of the doorway, making the doors unable to be opened.

"No! Max, no!" Sam yelled, his voice muffled as he battered on the inside. But it was useless. The doors wouldn't open.

He continued to batter on the door before a pounding filled his head. He pulled away, his fingers resting against his temple as Adriana looked at him fearfully. Everything faded into black until all he could see was something that he shouldn't be able to. Images filled Sam's head. He was upstairs in the room Dean had gone to.

_Dean sat Mrs. Miller on the bed before going into the ensuite and giving her a damp cloth wordlessly. She pressed it to the gash on her forehead. Athena paced behind the bed, Dean stood in front of the door. They were mirror images of each other: arms folded, faces steely. The door creaked open and she jumped, glancing at it fearfully. Dean turned to face it straight on but before he could do anything, he was sent flying into the wall Athena was standing in front of._

_"Dean!" she cried before crouching beside him, completely ignoring the danger of Max._

_"Max..." Mrs. Miller said, trailing off at the sight of her step-son with a gun in his hand, pointing at her. Dean winced as he rolled over, and Athena glanced up, realising it was Dean's pistol the teenager was holding. Her mouth fell open_

_"Son of a-" Dean coughed, as he sat up. He cut himself off as he saw the gun as well and froze. Athena moved away from Dean and towards Max. The gun floated out of his hand and hovered in mid air. Athena froze as it turned to point towards Mrs. Miller. Athena took a deep breath before moving into the gun's path, in front of Mrs. Miller._

_"Stay back" Max spat at her. "This is not about you."_

_"You wanna kill her, you gotta go through me first." On the ground, Dean almost laughed. It seemed Athena wasn't as heartless as she came across and she also seemed to have picked up some of his worse lines._

_"Okay then." The gun flew around and blood splattered over the wall as a large bang went off. Athena fell to the floor, a large bullethole in the front of her forehead. The gun whipped around once again and kicked back, shooting Dean in the same place as he stood. Both hunters lay on the ground, blood leaking out of their wounds. Dead. _

Sam barely realised he was screaming as his thoughts became his own again.

"No! Noooo!" he was yelling, completely unaware of Adriana's shocked and scared expression beside him. Suddenly, there was a sliding noise from the other side of the door, like something heavy was being dragged across the wooden floor.

"Sam, are you okay?" Adriana asked him, but he ignored her and reached for the handle on the closet. He grabbed it and turned it, surprised when it opened. He glanced at Adriana before stepping out of the closet with her behind him. He stared at the book shelf that had been set in front of the closet to keep them in, but now it was moved.

"Did I...?" Sam trailed off as he heard shouting from upstairs. He didn't have time to worry about what he did or might have done. Dean was in danger. Without a second thought, he dashed up the stairs and burst through the door where he had seen the incident from earlier occur. Adriana stopped directly behind him when she saw the gun floating midair and pointed directly at Dean.

"Sam," Dean said, his voice warning his little brother to be careful.

"No don't! Don't! Please. Please. Max. Max. We can help you. All right. But this, what you're doing. It's not the solution. It's not going to fix anything," Sam pleaded with him.

Max shook his head, feeling his whole body shake. He was visibly upset and visibly fighting over what he should do. He was sweaty and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He paused and nodded his head, his thoughts clear.

"You're right," He said. Sam sighed with relief that Max was seeing things his way. But it wasn't what Sam was thinking. The gun swung towards Max and before anyone could think or say something, the gun went off. Max slumped to the ground, a bullet hole through his head. Adriana screamed and turned into Sam who stood there frozen. Dean closed his eyes and Athena glanced down. Mrs. Miller's mouth hung open before she burst into tears.

After a few moments, Dean spoke. "We need to call the police," He said taking charge once again and everyone let him. They were too in shock from the event that had just occurred. Eventually, Dean got everyone downstairs and Mrs. Miller called the police and reassured Sam and Dean she wouldn't tell anyone the truth. After that, she sat down on the couch and stayed silent.

Sam and Dean were standing off to the side, neither saying anything and Adriana was in the kitchen making some tea for Mrs. Miller. Athena walked in and leaned against the door frame, watching the blonde for a moment. Adriana's hands were shaking, making it hard for her to pick up the cups. When one almost dropped, Athena moved forward and caught it before it could shatter against the hardwood floor. Adriana glanced over at her and gave her a grateful smile as she took the cup back and set it on the counter.

"I know I should be used to seeing dead bodies," Adriana began, looking out the kitchen window into the backyard of the Millers. "But we hunt spirits and animals... it's different when I watch an actual person die," She said quietly, explaining her actions. "I still haven't gotten used to it," She admitted quietly.

"I don't think any person will ever actually get 'used to it'," Athena commented. "It means you're still human."

"But you're not in shock or..." Adriana looked up at the taller girl. She shrugged.

"Maybe I am a heartless bitch," she said, a slight smirk crossing her face. "Or maybe I'm not human." Adriana giggled a little.

"Don't tell me that, I'd have to kill you," she said and Athena's smirk widened.

"I doubt you'd get near me," she said. Athena laughed and they walked out into the lounge. Adriana handed Mrs. Miller her cup of tea and took a seat on the opposite couch. Sam watched the two of them banter; glad they were finally getting on completely. The doorbell rung and he moved to get it, escorting the policemen into the room.

"Hi Mrs. Miller," said the first cop, removing his hat. "We're terribly sorry for what happened but you're going to have to answer some questions." He sat down and began talking to her. The hunters watched on, looking for any flaws in Mrs. Miller's reasons.

"And these four?" the first cop asked, gesturing to the hunters. Mrs. Miller glanced up at them.

"They're... family friends" she said with a sob. "I called them as soon as Max arrive. I was scared" she said, and Sam watched Dean breathe a sigh of relief. "They tried to stop him; they fought him for the gun."

"Do you know where Max got the gun?" the second policemen asked. She shook her head fearfully. "No he just showed up with it" she told them, her sobs rising to cries as she broke down. The policeman shut his book.

"It's okay," he said, trying to console her. She shook her head.

"I've lost everyone," she said. The policemen looked helplessly at each other, before the second one stood up and made his way to where they were standing, or sitting in Adriana's case.

"We'll give you a call if we have any further questions," he said, and Dean nodded as Adriana stood up.

"Thanks officer," he said, taking Sam's arm. "Let's go," he said and they made their way out of the house. No one said a word as they made their way down to the Impala. Dean drove back to the motel room in silence and it wasn't until Dean stepped through the doorway that it started.

"If I'd just said something. Gotten through to him somehow," Sam muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Sam don't do that," Dean and Adriana said at the same time.

"Do what?" Sam asked, staring at the ground. Adriana touched his arm, concerned. She hadn't said anything about what happened in the closet. Sam would tell Dean when he wanted to.

"Torture yourself," she said softly and Sam turned his gaze down to her. Her blue eyes were soft now and he could feel the concern radiating off her.

"It wouldn't have mattered what you said, Max was too far gone," Athena commented unhelpfully.

"When I think about how he looked at me..." Sam trailed off. "I should have done something," he mumbled again.

"Come on man, you risked your life" Dean said impatiently. "I mean yeah, you coulda done something maybe if we had gotten there 20 years earlier."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing," Sam said as he flopped onto the couch. Athena made her way over to the fridge, pulling out some energy drinks. She offered them to everyone. Sam wrinkled his nose but Adriana took one surprisingly. Dean caught the one she tossed him and took a long sip as he lay on one of the beds. Adriana sat in front of the couch, her head resting right beside Sam's.

"We're lucky we had Dad." Dean coughed and sprayed the drink out in shock.

"Well I never thought I'd hear you say that," he said, still looking surprised at Sam's admission. His tone was more than a little smug.

"Well, it coulda gone a whole other way after Mom," Sam said sadly and Adriana spun, reaching to grab his hand. She knew that Sam had a rocky relationship with his father. "I mean little more tequila and a little less demon hunting and we coulda had Max's childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay." Athena raised her eyebrows at this comment but Sam ignored her. "Thanks to him," he finished softly.

There was another silence in the room. It was like this after every hunt. Everyone was tired, physically and mentally. Athena moved over to the table, pulling a chair out and putting her feet up. They sat in silence before Sam broke it again.

"Dean..." he said, pushing himself off the couch and looking across to his brother. Dean propped himself up with one hand. "I've been thinking."

"That's never a good thing," he said with a smirk.

"I'm serious. I been thinking, this demon, whatever it is. Why would it kill Mom, and Jessica, and Max's Mother, you know? What does it want?" Sam felt slightly uncomfortable saying this with Athena in the room. Adriana knew what it was like to lose a parent and more importantly, she'd been in the cupboard when he'd opened it. Athena knew nothing.

"I have no idea," Dean said, his tone matching Sam's. He'd been thinking much the same thing since returning from the Miller's house. Sam took a deep breath.

"Well, you think, maybe, it was after us? After Max and me?" Adriana took in a deep breath, looking up at Sam. His hazel eyes were troubled. It was hard for him to say this.

"Why would you think that?" Dean asked, trying to keep his tone flat but Adriana could hear a certain guarded quality behind it.

"I mean, either telekinesis or premonitions, we both had abilities you know? Maybe he was after us for some reason." Dean frowned before shaking his head.

"Sam. If it had wanted you, it would've just taken you. Okay? This is not your fault, it's not about you."

"Then what is it about?" Sam asked. Dean stood up angrily, pushing himself off the bed.

"It's about what this damn thing did to our family!" he said, his voice raised. "The thing we're gonna find and kill. And that's all." His tone was final, as if he was daring anyone to challenge him. And Sam, being Sam gave him a half smile before it quickly disappeared.

"Actually... there is one thing."

"Ah jeez!" Dean swore. "What?" he snapped.

"When Max left me in that closet, with that big cabinet against the door... I moved it." Sam watched Dean carefully for his reaction, but Dean only snorted.

"Huh. You got a little more upper body strength than I gave you credit for," he said, relaxing slightly as he moved around the room, grabbing their equipment. They'd leave this town either tonight or early in the morning. Another day, another case.

"No man, I moved it. Like, Max." Dean stopped gathering the gear and turned to his brother. Athena swung her legs off the table and turned to Sam, also frowning. Adriana just sat beside him, ready to jump in and defend him.

"Oh." There was a pause before Dean spoke again. "Right," he said softly although he was still looking oddly at Sam.

"He did," Adriana quickly jumped in. "I saw him..." Athena reached across the table and grabbed a spoon lying on it, tossing it over to Sam. He caught it, staring at it puzzled.

"Bend that," she said. He frowned before glaring at her.

"I can't just turn it on and off, Athena," he said, flinging the spoon back at her hard. She caught it, with raised eyebrows.

"Touchy, touchy."

"Well, how'd you do it then?" Dean asked before the argument could go any further. Sam shrugged, at a loss of what to say.

"I don't know, I can't control it. I just... I saw Max shoot you and Athena. It came out of nowhere, like a punch. Like a freak adrenaline thing."

"Yeah well..." Dean said, dumping all the stuff in his arms onto the bed. "I'm sure it won't happen again."

"Yeah, maybe," Sam said, but he didn't sound convinced. But aren't you worried man. Aren't you worried I could turn into Max or something?" It wasn't Dean who answered him, it was Adriana.

"Nope. No way. You know why?" she asked, him, looking up at him. She caught Dean's eye behind Sam and grinned.

"No, I don't know why. Why?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes.

"'Cause you got one advantage Max didn't have."

"Dad? Because my dad isn't here, Drie," he said softly. She giggled.

"Maybe I should have said three advantages. You have us Sam. And we're not gonna abandon you. Ever."

"Yeah", Dean said, rolling his eyes at what she was saying. "Because as long as _I'm_ around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you ever." Sam realised that arguing was futile and pulled a puppy dog face. Adriana giggled and stood up. Athena sat over at her table, smirking.

"Now then. I know what we need to do about your premonitions. I know where we have to go," Dean said as he moved over to Sam. Sam frowned, surprised.

"Where?" he asked, curious.

"Vegas." Dean's voice was utterly serious and everyone stared at him for a minute, before bursting out laughing. Adriana playfully hit him in the arm. Sam merely groaned and looked away.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Dean Winchester," she said, purposefully misinterpreting Dean's meaning. As he spun, he grabbed her around the waist, Adriana giggling and screaming as he tossed her over his shoulder.

"Or maybe give him a shovel to put the rest of his mind in there," Athena said dryly.

"Let me down! Let me down!" Adriana screamed as she battered him with her hands.

"Nope!" Dean said as he walked out to the Impala. Eventually, he let the blonde down onto the ground, and they all got into the car and drove away. Where? They didn't know.


	20. Gone

"Do we have a new case yet?" Adriana asked impatiently as she sat on the bed, jumping in her seat. "I'm bored."

Dean, who was sitting behind her, gave a strange look. "Since when have you _ever _wanted a case to cure your boredom?" He asked, leaning back against the wall behind the bed.

"Since _now_," The blonde said almost whining.

"Who are you and what have you done with Adriana?" Athena questioned from the other bed closest to the door. Sam glanced up from the table nearest Athena and raised an eyebrow at Adriana quizzically.

"Is she being serious?" He asked. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes!" Adriana said, surprising herself. "Look. I'm just bored. We've been stuck in this damn motel room for two and a half weeks, I need something to do!"

"Why don't you go outside for a jog or something," Dean replied flipping through the channels on the television before giving up on finding anything decent to watch and tossed the remote onto the bed beside him. "Okay. I know I'm giving her a hard time, but I'm with Adrie. Please, tell me we have something for us to do?"

"Maybe," Sam said looking at the newspaper in his hands. "There was a little boy who claims he saw a 'monster' kidnap a man out of an empty parking lot."

"The boy describe this 'monster'?" Athena asked and Sam shook his head.

"Nope, but it scared the little boy pretty bad," Sam said glancing at them. "I know it's weak... but sometimes children see things and aren't paid much attention to because they're kids?"

"That explains why we don't give Drie much mind," Dean joked before laughing as Adriana turned around and threw the pillow she had been leaning on at his head. He held his arm up and easily deflected the pillow causing the blonde to stick her tongue out at him.

"You're an ass."

"So you've said about a billion times. I believe Athena's even added her opinion in once or twice," Dean commented and Athena nodded her head.

"I have."

"Can we focus?" Sam asked. "Little kid. Monster. Man disappearing out of empty parking lot? We check it out or not?"

"Where?" Dean asked.

Sam glance down at the newspaper. "Hibbing, Minnesota."

"That's only about four hours from here," Dean said calculating the time in his head. "Let's go," He added as he hopped up off of the bed and grabbed his two duffel bags which were lying on the floor beside him.

He slung them over his shoulder and headed for the door to his beloved car. It was only about noon so the sun was blazing high in the sky. Dean groaned at the heat before he tossed his bags into the trunk and waited for the others. Once their bags had been put in, and they had checked out of the motel, Dean got in the car and drove off to Minnesota.

"I know you're just doing your job, but the police have been here all week already. I don't see why we have to go through this again. The more he tells the story, the more he believes it's true," Mrs. McKay, the mother of the little boy who had seen the creature, told Dean and Adriana. While those two were interviewing the little boy-that being the only reason Adriana had gone with Dean instead of Athena-Sam and Athena were checking the parking lot and looking for any signs of the kidnapping.

"Mrs. McKay, we know you spoke with the local authorities," Adriana began.

"But, uh, this seems like a matter for the state police, so…" Dean added.

"Don't worry about it sounding crazy," The blonde girl said as she crouched down to Evan's level and smiled at him. "Just tell us what you saw." When Adriana bent down, Evan gave her a small smile.

"Well I was up late, watching TV and I heard this weird noise," he began in a quiet voice.

"What did it sound like?" Adriana asked, continuing her gentle way of questioning. Evan glanced up at her uncertainly. Even while Adriana was crouching, she was still taller than him.

"It sounded... like a monster." At this, Adriana straightened, glancing at Dean. His face mirrored hers.

"Why don't you tell the officers what you were watching at the time?" Mrs. McKay interjected.

"Godzilla vs. Mothra," Evan admitted a little sheepishly. To his surprise Dean grinned.

"That's my favourite Godzilla movie," said Dean excitedly. "It's so much better than the original huh?" Evan nodded in agreement.

"Totally."

Dean glanced at Adriana, who wasn't looking very impressed at where the line of questioning was going. "My brother likes the remake," Dean added, before Adriana glared at him. He cleared his throat, re-focusing. "Evan, did you see the thing that made the noise?" Dean asked. He shook his head.

"No," said Evan. "But I saw Mr. Jenkins being pulled under the car."

"Then what?" Adriana asked. Evan lifted his shoulders slightly, as if the answer was simple.

"Then it took him away." Dean frowned but Evan wasn't finished. "I heard the monster leave. It made this really scary sound."

"What did it sound like, Evan?"

"It sounded like this... whining growl." Dean and Adriana exchanged another look before Adriana smiled pleasantly up at Mrs. McKay.

"Thank you for you and your son's time," she said, extending her hand to shake. Mrs. McKay shook it uncertainly before escorting the two to the door. Once she'd closed it behind them, Dean turned to Adriana.

"You must have felt tall beside that kid," Dean joked with a smirk. "For once in your life," he added. Adriana narrowed her eyes at him.

"Dean Winchester," she said, her voice icy. "You are _this _close to being castrated," she said, before flouncing over to the car. Dean grinned as he followed, quickly catching up to her and ruffling her hair as he walked round to the driver's seat. She climbed in the car and yanked the door shut a little harder than it needed to be. Dean winced.

"Careful with my baby," he muttered. Adriana ignored him as they sat there, waiting for Athena and Sam to return from the carpark. When they came around the corner, they seemed to be arguing.

"Here we go," Dean mumbled as Athena pulled open the door with just as much force as Adriana had used.

"Can you drive please?" she snapped before yanking her seatbelt on. Dean groaned as Sam got in silently.

"Can we _please_ not have another episode with you two? It's getting tiring and boring, like _Friend_'s reruns," Dean said as he pulled away. "What'd you find, anyway?" he asked. Sam shook his head.

"No trace of kidnapping," he said.

"And what about cheery in the back?" Dean asked, indicating to Athena who was glaring at empty space. Sam grinned.

"We had an impromptu battle. She seemed to think she was better than me."

Dean chuckled. "Don't take it personally; she thinks she's better than everyone."

"Excuse me," Athena said, rolling her eyes but trying to keep her face angry. It was hard with these three. They were always joking around and it was hard to stay angry. "_She _is in the car and can hear you talking about you." Dean glanced around, as if listening for a noise.

"I'm sorry, did anyone hear anything just now?" he asked, turning down a street where a vacant motel was advertised. Athena groaned as a grudging grin worked its way onto her face before she turned to Adriana.

"And how was the little boy?" she asked. Adriana smiled.

"Adorable. An overactive imagination but adorable." Athena gave a rare smile as Dean pulled into the parking lot of the motel. It was like déjà vu to the hunters. Another case, another motel. Sam collected their key and they made their way over to their room. They dumped their bags before Adriana flopped onto the couch, propping herself up with one arm.

"Let's go out to get food tonight. I'm still bored," she proclaimed. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Heaven save us from the boredom of Drie," he intoned, casting his eyes at the ceiling.

"Castration," was all Adriana had to say before Dean assumed a suitably serious expression.

"Going out sounds great, what do you two think?" he asked, turning to Sam. Athena wasn't in the room, having slipped out to the shower five minutes prior without Dean noticing. Sam simply raised his shoulders.

"Whatever's fine for me." Ten minutes later, Athena was still in the bathroom. Dean gave Sam a mock worried glance as Adriana sat impatiently on the couch, reading a magazine.

"Maybe she's drowned?" he joked. He was only accustomed to one girl taking forever to get ready. Athena usually couldn't care less what she looked like.

"How sad that would be for you," Sam commented dryly. Dean looked surprised.

"For me?" he queried. Sam sighed and nodded.

"You may be able to fool her, Dean but you can't fool me. You've got it in for the chick," he said. Dean rolled his eyes.

"No I do not 'have it in for' Athena as you so eloquently put it, Sammy," Dean said, sounding exasperated but not annoyed. Sam shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

The door to the bathroom swung open and Athena stepped out. She looked much different to her normal dress of jean shorts, combat boots and a military style jacket. Instead, she wore jean shorts and a tight tank top. Her hair was out, softening her normally harsh features. Dean and Sam almost visibly pulled back in surprise. Adriana didn't even notice the change, immediately jumping up and practically sprinting for the shower.

"Finally," she muttered as she yanked the door shut. Dean chuckled before turning to the other female hunter.

"What's the occasion?" He couldn't help but ask, even though it would have given him more satisfaction to give no comment on Athena's appearance. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Occasion?" she asked, playing dumb. Dean rolled his eyes again, knowing she was not purposefully understanding him to wind him up.

"I'm just saying, that's not what you normally wear."

"And now you, the great Dean Winchester have an interest in my wardrobe?" she asked, a glint in her grey eyes as she rooted through her bag. "Maybe you are gay," she commented with a smirk.

"I'm not gay!" Dean added a little more force than necessary. For some reason, when they worked alone, he and Sam used to be mistaken for a couple instead of brothers. Athena simply cocked one eyebrow.

"Denial," was the only thing she said. Sam laughed before Dean glared at him.

"Would we really be going out to a bar if Dean was gay, Thena?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"You never know."

It was another twenty minutes before Adriana emerged. It wasn't that she was vain, she just had more of a disposition to be a girly-girl and take care in what she looked like. Dean drove the Impala to the local bar, Kugel's Keg. They took a table and Dean offered to go and get the drinks. Athena looked surprised for a minute before spotting the attractive female bar tender. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the other hunters.

"Okay. He's not gay," she admitted to Sam, who made a noise of disgust at his brother.

"We should probably talk about the case," Adriana said out of nowhere. Athena and Sam glanced at her in surprise.

"Where did that come from?" Athena asked. "Since when were you so into our cases?" Adriana ignored the last part of the question.

"Well the police have ruled out foul play. Because apparently there have been worse signs of a struggle." Athena raised her shoulders and dropped them.

"Well they could be right," she remarked. "It could be just a kidnapping. Maybe this isn't our type of gig." At the last words, she narrowed her eyes. "Hey, is that what you're so keen to prove?" she asked Adriana who was staring off into space. When she got no reply, she nudged her. "Drie! Do you wanna prove that there's nothing supernatural here so we can move on?" Adriana shook her head slowly.

"Hang on a minute..." Sam said, reaching into the inside of his jacket. He pulled out John Winchester's diary and flipped it open, soon reaching the page he wanted.

"Maybe this isn't out type of gig. But look at this," he said, pointing to a map in the journal. A large area was marked out in bold. "Dad marked the area." He peered closer and tapped a line of writing. "Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker," he said, glancing at the two girls excitedly.

"Why would he do that?" Athena asked, frowning. Adriana giggled.

"Maybe because it's a possible hunting ground of a phantom attacker, Thene?" she asked rhetorically. "You're a wee bit slow tonight, Goddess of Wisdom."

"Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night," Sam offered. "Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this too—this county has seen more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state."

"We should leave Drie here then," Athena said, getting back from Adriana's jab.

Over at the bar, Dean had finished talking to the bartender and was carrying the drinks over. They all seemed to be laughing. He placed the drinks on the table.

"Not laughing about me, I hope," he asked. Athena laughed, tossing her hair back.

"No, we're laughing at the possibility of leaving Drie here to be kidnapped."

"Why would she be kidnapped?" Dean asked, taking a drink of his beer. Sam repeated the information he'd found in their father's diary. "That is weird," Dean said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, nodding. There was a pause as they all drank.

"Don't phantom attackers normally take people from their beds?" Adriana asked, breaking the silence. "This Jenkins guy was taken from the parking lot."

"Well, there are all kinds," Sam offered, his tone falling into a slight lecture. He'd spent hours looking up different types and cases of one particular creature. "You know, Springhill Jacks, phantom gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime. Look, guys," Sam said, pausing to make eye contact with them all. "I don't know if this is our kind of gig either."

"Maybe you're right," Dean said, at the same time that Adriana said, "We should ask around tomorrow."

"Right," Sam said, glancing uncertainly between the two, before looking at his watch. "We should get back to the motel sometime soon," he said. Dean raised his eyebrow, downing the rest of his beer, and raising a hand to the barmaid for another.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy," Dean said, standing and walking over to where the darts were resting. "Let's have another round. Play some darts," he said, tossing one at the dartboard. "Meet some people," Dean added with a smirk as the barmaid reached them.

Sam sighed, looking at the girls. Athena was staring ahead stonily, finishing her beer. Adriana on the other hand, seemed to be on the verge of sleep, her eyelids closing periodically over her large blue eyes sleepily.

"We should get an early start Dean," Sam called but his older brother seemed to ignore him, walking over to collect the darts before returning to face the board.

"You really." Pause. "Know how." Pause. "To have fun." Each time Dean said something, he threw a dart at the board, as if he was getting out his anger by throwing the darts. "You're such a grandma." Sam gave him a slight smile as Adriana's eyes slipped shut yet again. Dean rolled his eyes, collecting the darts for the last time and dropping them into the bucket. Sam, Dean and Athena all stood up.

"All right, you go on ahead," he said. "I have to take a leak." Adriana wrinkled her nose.

"Lovely, Dean," she murmured, attempting to sound reproachful but really not having enough energy. "I'll wait for you, huh?" she asked, leaning against the table, her eyes slipping shut again. Sam smiled at her.

"You sure you wanna wait for the classy, older one?" Sam asked sarcastically. Adriana nodded, giving him a sleepy smile.

"Yeah, you go escort the goddess out to the car. Not sure her highness could survive without constant attention." Sam chuckled and nodded, moving to follow Athena out.

As the two walked out of the bar, Sam heard a scuffle from off to the side and stops before glancing around. He placed his father's journal on the hood of the Impala and glanced at Athena before pulling out a small flashlight from his coat pocket. She rolled her eyes at him and leaned against the hood, right next to the journal, watching him. He crouched down beside the car and shone the flashlight underneath the car, but all that popped out at him was a cat. Sam jumped back a little, startled and Athena laughed.

"Be careful, Sam. The cat might kill you," She joked and he glared at her.

"Shut up, Thena."

Back inside, Adriana was curled up in the barstool against the wall while she waited for Dean. She was trying to stay awake, but everything inside her was wanting to go to sleep. Just as she felt her eyes closing, a hand was placed on her shoulder, and she jumped up, instantly awake. She turned around to see Dean standing there, his jacket on and ready to go. She instantly hopped up out of the stool and turned to him, ready to go. He chuckled as she stumbled a little, sleep kicking in. He let her hop up onto his back before walking out of the bar.

"You should really get some sleep," Dean commented and Adriana rolled her eyes.

"When do we get the chance to have a real good night's rest?" She asked him as they walked over to the Impala and noticed that Sam and Athena weren't there. He let Adriana slide off his back as he began to look around.

"Shouldn't they be here?" He asked and she nodded her head as she spun in her spot, trying to find the two. "I mean... the journal's here and Sam wouldn't have just left it," He commented as he picked it up.

"Yeah... where'd they go?" She questioned as she turned back to face Dean who opened up the car door to see if they were in the car, which they weren't. "If it was you, I'd assume you ran off with her to hookup, but this is Sam." He shot her glare to show he wasn't amused at the current moment in time. She raised her hands in defense as a group of young adults walked out of the bar, laughing and joking. Dean walked up to them, trying to appear calm but failing.

"Hey. You guys been outside, around here in the last hour or so?" He asked them. When they shook their heads, he began to panic. "Sam!" He shouted frantically as he turned around and walked back to Adriana.

"Athena!" Adriana shouted when there was no response from Dean's calling. She also was greeted by silence, and this caused a knot to form in the blonde's stomach. "Sam!" She called, her voice more on edge, more panicked.

Dean walked out into the middle of the street, completely panicking that he lost his little brother. And Athena. Now that he thought about it, he was panicking because of both. "Athena! Sammy!" He shouted, but still no answer. He glanced up and noticed a surveillance camera. "Sam!" He walked out into the middle of the road, glancing back to check that the blonde was still there, afraid of losing her as well. "Sam!" he called one last time before walking back over to Adriana.

"Drie..." said Dean, trailing off, not knowing what to say. She looked up at him, her pretty face twisted in fear.

"Where have they gone, Dean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Dena's mouth was set in a grim line.

"I guess we know why Dad marked the area," he said, walking back to the Impala but keeping Adriana close to him. However, she stopped about three metres away from it.

"So you're just going to leave? Without looking for them?" she asked, her voice cracking as it rose. Dean stepped out to her, pulling her into his arms to comfort her.

"I know it seems harsh," Dean said, who was fighting ever instinct not to get out there and search for his baby brother and his... he wasn't really sure what Athena was but she was a lot more than just a hunting buddy. "But it's night. The thing that took them could still be out there. They're gone, Adrie, and I don't see how we can get them back tonight." Adriana still looked shocked that Dean could consider leaving without finding Sam and Athena. "We will go to the police station early in the morning. We have to treat this as a normal case, if we have any hope of getting them back, okay?" Dean asked before leading her to the Impala.

He drove them silently back to the motel they'd checked into earlier. Adriana immediately went to the bed and curled up around a pillow. Dean didn't know what to do. Sam had always been the one to comfort her and now Sam was gone. In the end, he pushed his bed up against Adriana's, so the two singles formed a double. He couldn't risk losing her too.

They both slept fitfully that night, and when she woke, the knot in Adriana's stomach had wrapped itself tighter. She stumbled to the bathroom, ignoring the dark rings under her eyes before making her way back out to the main room, waiting for Dean to wake so they could leave. As soon as he did, they drove back into the small town and to the police station. Dean opened his glove box, flipping through for the fake ID he wanted to use.

"You got yours?" he asked Adriana, the first thing either of them had said to each other that morning.

She nodded and they walked into the police station, flashing their ID until they were shown to the Sheriff's office. He was out on a case, but his deputy, Kathleen, saw them. She had the most peculiar grey eyes that reminded Dean so much of Athena's.

"So what can I do for you, Officers Washington and Child?" she asked examining the fake ID they'd given her. Apparently they passed her inspection.

"We're working on a missing persons case," Dean began.

"I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police."

"Oh, no. No, there's someone else. Actually, it's my cousin and his... his fiancée," Dean said, hesitating as he tried to figure out a plausible story. The faintest flicker of a smile crossed Adriana's face at the thought. "We were having a few last night at this bar down by the highway. And I haven't seen him since."

"Both of them disappeared?" Kathleen asked. Adriana nodded.

"Does either your cousin or his fiancée have a drinking problem?" was her next question.

"Sam? Two beers and he's doing karaoke," Dean joked, causing the deputy to smile. "No, both of them were relatively sober. They were taken." Kathleen nodded, as if this was a perfectly logical explanation and made her way over to her computer.

"What'd you say their names were?" she asked.

"Winchester. Sam Winchester. And Athena Knox," Dean said, deciding to risk using their real names if it would help them get them back any faster.

"Like the rifle?" Kathleen asked as she typed.

"Like the rifle," Dean said, nodding. Adriana remained silent throughout this entire exchange, folding her hands over each other. Kathleen frowned at the results that appeared on the screen before clicking on another link.

"So, Samuel Winchester. So, you know that his brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis. And, uh, was suspected of murder?" she asked. Dean nodded, attempting to look nonchalant.

"Yeah, Dean. Kind of the black sheep of the family. Handsome, though." Kathleen raised her eyes dubiously at him and Adriana let out a small snort.

"And Knox did you say it was?" Kathleen asked. Adriana nodded and she typed another name into the search bar. "Neither of them are showing up in any current field reports" she said after a few minutes.

"I noticed something," Adriana said. "I—we saw a surveillance camera by the highway," she said and Kathleen nodded, acknowledging what she was talking about.

"The country traffic cam?"

"Right. Yeah. I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took them." At her choice of words, Kathleen raised her eyebrows and Adriana rephrased. "Or whoever."

"Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the county works department, but—well, anyhow, let's do this the right way" Kathleen said to them as she moved over to a filing cabinet, pulling out a large sheaf of paperwork. "Why don't you fill out a missing persons report and sit tight over there?" she asked, handing Dean the clipboard.

Dean shook his head, refusing to take the clipboard. "Officer, look, uh, he's family. I kind of—I kind of look out for the kid. You gotta let me go with you," He said, his voice pleading. Adriana had never heard this tone Dean was using. He was genuinely scared.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that," Kathleen told him and Adriana stepped forward.

"You have a lot of missing persons reports," She said quietly. "How many of them have you ever found?" She wasn't trying to be rude, but just trying to get a point across. If they didn't find Sam, Adriana didn't know what she would do. She shook her head, pushing the thought to the back of her mind. They _would_find Sam. And Athena.

"Sam's my responsibility. And he's comin' back. I'm bringin' him back," Dean said adding onto Adriana's words. Kathleen sighed, and glanced around, thinking about what to do. Finally she sighed again and turned to Dean.

"All right. Fine. You can come, but you do as I say, got it?" She said and both of them nodded, each a small smile on their face. They were a little closer to finding Sam and Athena.

_~Far Away~_

Sam slowly let his eyes open and glanced around at his surroundings. He was lying on the ground in some metal cage, a rusty metal cage at that. He slowly sat up, a pounding registering in his head, but he ignored it. Once up, he glanced around again and could see Athena lying on the ground in a cage off to his right. In front of him was another man, asleep as well, the one they were looking for, he assumed. Sam rattled the bars of his cage, trying to see if any of them were loose and would offer a way out. Of course, none of them were.

Sam stopped shaking the bars and sighed. He stood up and attempted to kick the bars down. He was only greeted with waking up Athena and Jenkins, not a way out. He glanced at Athena beside him who groaned as she sat up, holding her head with her hand. She had the same pounding Sam had experienced earlier. He knelt down as close to her cage as the bars would allow and waited for her to fully regain consciousness before speaking to her because he didn't want to crowd her with a bunch of questions.

"You're alive," He said quietly and she glanced at him. "Are you feeling all right?" He asked and she nodded, and he glanced over at Jenkins. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look like I'm okay?" The man replied sarcastically and Athena rolled her eyes, but instantly regretted it the moment a headache came on.

"Where are we?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. The country, I think. Smells like the country," He said and Sam could picture Dean replying with some witty remark like that. Or Adriana. He winced slightly at the thought of Adriana and Dean freaking out over losing him and Athena. He didn't want them worrying, but he knew they would. Especially if they didn't have anything to go on.

"You're Alvin Jenkins?" Sam asked him, and the man nodded. "We were lookin' for you," He added and Jenkins scoffed.

"No offense, but this is a piss-poor rescue," He said, Sam nodded. Yeah, definitely the attitude Dean or Adriana would have.

"Well, my brother's out there right now, too. He's lookin' for us. So—"

"So, he's not gonna find us," Jenkins said, cutting Sam off. "We're in the middle of nowhere," He added. "Waiting for them to come back and do God-knows-what to us."

"Have you seen them?" Athena asked, slipping into hunter mode. "What are they?"

"What are you talking about?" Jenkins asked.

"Whatever's got us, what'd they look like?" Sam asked, seeing where Athena was going with her questioning, but before he could add on, there was some noise outside the door and Jenkins nodded at it.

"See for yourself."

The door to the building swung open, and wo men, wearing black coats and hats, walked in. One man walked over to Jenkins' cage and kicked the side of it, sneering as Jenkins moved back into the corner, hiding away from them. The other man walked over to a panel of buttons attached to a pole in the middle of the room. He inserted a key into the panel and twisted it causing Jenkins' cage to unlock. The men entered his cage, and dropped a plastic tray onto the ground a little ways into the cage before backing out and closing the door again. They twisted the key into the panel, and Jenkins' cage locked before they walked out of the room, completely ignoring Sam and Athena. Sam stared at the closed door, completely taken off guard.

"I'll be damned... they're just people," He commented to himself and Athena.

"Yeah, what'd you expect?" Jenkins asked in between bites of his food.

"How often do they feed you?" Sam asked him.

"Once a day," Jenkins replied before pointing over at the panel. "They use that to control all the locks and doors."

"And that's the only time you see them?" Athena asked.

"So far," Jenkins replied. "But I'm waitin'."

"For what?" Athena asked him.

"Ned Beatty time, man," Jenkins told her.

"I think that's the least of your worries," Sam replied, and Jenkins raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Sam said.

"What do you think they want, then?" Jenkins asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice that did not go undetected by Sam or Athena. Sam chose not to respond to his sarcasm and instead reached through the top of his cage and grabbed a hold of a long metal wire that attached from the control panel to all of the cages. He tried to pull it down.

"Depends who they are," He said, grunting with the strain of pulling on the wire.

"They're a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks, if you ask me. Lookin' for love in all the wrong places," He replied as Sam continued to pull on the wire, hoping to find a way out.


	21. Rescue Me

Dean sat on a bench outside of The County Works Department, waiting for Kathleen to come out and give them some helpful information. He held his head in his hands, and his elbows resting on the top of his knees. How could he have lost Sam? His one job had been to protect his little brother, and he couldn't even do that. He felt something light sit beside him on the bench, and he glanced sideways to see Adriana there, her hands in her lap, twirling her fingers around a loose string from her shirt. Dean sighed and realized his freaking out wasn't helping calm Adriana or helping him find his brother.

He sighed before pulling the blonde against him in a hug. "They'll be fine," He told her. "We'll find Sam and Athena."

"You promise?" Adriana asked as she glanced up at him, and he nodded. A door swung open and they both glanced up.

"Greg, Sandy" Kathleen said as she stepped out, carrying a few papers in her hand. Dean and Adriana stood up, making their way over to her. "I think we've got something." She handed the papers to him to reveal they were photos. Dean held them at a low enough level for Adriana to see and flicked through them as Kathleen explained what they were. "These are traffic cam images. Each camera takes an image every three seconds, as part of the Amber Alert program. Thse images were all taken around the time your cousin and his fiancee disappeared" she told them. Dean was thankful she was trying to help but ruefully held them out to her.

"This is really what we're looking for," he said. Kathleen held up a finger just as Adriana pulled them out of his hands flicked to the next one. "Look at this." The picture displayed an image of a rusty truck driving. "This was taken right after you said they left the bar." She pointed at the licence plates on the car. "Look at these." Adriana held the page closer to her face to inspect it before flicking to the next one. It was a larger image of the same truck, only this time displaying the plates more clearly.

"The plates are new," she said, glancing up at the sheriff. She nodded. "Stolen?" Adriana queried. She nodded again.

"So, whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved." What she was about to say was cut off by a beaten van driving past. Its engine was a loud, whining growl and they all glanced out to see what it was.

"Hear that engine?" Dean said, turning and pointing at the van as it disappeared around the corner.

"Yeah?" Kathleen and Adriana said at the same time.

"Kinda a whining growl isn't it?" Dean said, his eyes locking with Adriana's. Her own blue eyes widened slightly as she caught his train of thought.

"Sure?" Kathleen said, shrugging it off. "I think I know a way we can look at this more closely. Meet me out the back in five minutes," Kathleen said before walking back into her office.

Dean and Adriana walked out the front door, still holding the photos before making their way around to the back. Kathleen appeared not long after, holding a set of keys. She pointed them at a cop car parked behind the station.

"Hop in," she told them.

Dean climbed in the front behind her and Adriana slid into the back, feeling very lost.She pulled away from the station with ease, quickly hitting the main road of town and turning out into a back road. They drove in silence for about five minutes before she slowed down. Her hand raised slightly and she pointed out the window.

"Okay, so the next traffic cam is fifty miles from here and the pickup truck didn't pass that one," She told them both. Dean frowned a little, looking at the barren landscape around them.

"So, it must've pulled off somewhere. But I didn't see any roads out here."

"Well, a lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads," She said. Dean stared out the window, his body facing completely away from the brunette in the front. Adriana sat silently in the back, also turning her gaze out the window.

"Great," Dean said, obviously annoyed.

As she drove, Kathleen tapped away on the computer she was holding, only glancing up intermittently. She clicked an item and brought up a page. The light and movement caught Adriana's attention and she glanced up. Kathleen was studying information about Dean's ID. Dean's ID that was fake.

"So Gregory... And Sandy too for that matter," Kathleen said as Dean turned to look at her.

"Yeah?" Dean asked sullenly. Adriana stayed quiet, sensing something very serious was about to happen.

"I ran your badge number," She said, her tone serious. "It's routine when we're walking on a case with state police." She paused in her speaking for a moment to tap the screen again. "For accounting purposes and what have you." Her voice was calm.

"Mhmm?" Dean said noncommittally.

"And they, uh, just got back to me" she said as she pulled the car over to the side of the road. It hit bumps on the rough surface before coming to a halt.

"You see, it says here _both_ of your badges were stolen," she said, glancing back at Adriana briefly. Adriana stared her down, wishing for a moment that Athena was here. Athena would have a smart answer that would probably get them in more trouble, but at least she wouldn't feel lost. "And apparently, these are pictures of you."

She angled the screen so both Dean and Adriana could see it. It showed both Dean and Adriana's fake names above two pictures. One was a heavy-set African-American man. The other was a stern looking Asian woman. Both were about as far from Dean and Adriana as you could get. Dean took a look at the pictures and pursed his lips, immediately trying to think of a lie out of this. Of course, what he thought up was more sarcastic and a joke than actually meant to get them out of any trouble this problem might have caused.

"I lost some weight," He said, shaking his head with a chuckle. "And I got that Michael Jackson skin disease," He replied. Kathleen raised her eyebrow disbelieving.

"Uh-uh," She said, her tone indicating she didn't believe him. "And her?" She asked motioning her head to Adriana, but the blonde shook her head, knowing she was already caught. She wasn't about to come up with some lame-ass excuse on why she didn't look like an Asian woman. THere was just no point. It would make her look stupid because Kathleen obviously knew they were lying.

"I'm not even gonna try," Adriana told her, and Kathleen gave a small smile despite the situation as she took off her seatbelt to get out of the car.

"Wise girl," She said. Dean glared back at the blonde. "Would you two mind stepping out of the car?" She asked.

"Look, look, look!" Dean said quickly, and Kathleen turned to stop and glance at him. "If you wanna arrest me, that's fine. I'll cooperate, I swear. But, first, please—let me find Sam." His tone was almost begging, desperate.

Kathleen sighed. "I don't even know who you are. Or if this Sam person is missing."

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying about this," Dean said. He lied about a lot of things, but he wasn't lying about this. Sam was in trouble, and that wasn't something Dean would ever joke about.

"Please. We need to find him," Adriana pleaded softly.

"Identity theft? You're impersonating an officer," Kathleen said, trying to reason through all of this.

"Look, here's the thing. When we were young, I pretty much pulled him from a fire," Dean said and Adriana was surprised he was actually telling the truth about their childhood. "And ever since then, I've felt responsible for him. Like it's my job to keep him safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find him fast—please." Dean felt his voice break at the end of the plea. "He's my family."

"I'm sorry. You've given me no choice. I have to take you in," Kathleen said, and both Dean and Adriana felt their chances of finding Sam and Athena.

Dean couldn't do it. He was leaving Sam and Athena on their way. He needed to find them. He needed to get Sam because he promised to take care and look after for him. Sam was his little brother, and he was supposed to protect him. Athena was someone he had grown close to and didn't want to lose either. He didn't know what he and the dark-haired girl had, but if he never got her back he would never know. He did know, for a fact, that losing her had made him realize 'what ifs' and 'what could have beens', and he wanted to see where this odd and strange relationship he had with her could lead.

Adriana sighed defeatedly and sat back in the seat. She needed Sam back. She needed her best friend and the constant that he had always been in her life. She needed him to keep her sane and calm. She loved Dean, but it wasn't the same. She had always loved Sam as more than a friend, but had never told him for many reasons. One was because she was afraid he didn't feel the same and another was because as hunters, you didn't need a weakness. But right now, she didn't care about either. She _had_ to get him back to tell him she loved him.

She needed Athena back as well. Despite the two always arguing and fighting, Adriana had grown quite close to the older girl. She enjoyed having another female around since she was so used to it being just her and a bunch of boys. She respected Athena and thought of her like an older sister even though the age difference was only a few years. All she wanted now was the older girl's approval and respect. She considered Athena a friend, which was something they hadn't been before hunting. She had to get them both back.

"Please," Adriana whispered, her voice cracking slightly as her lower lip quivered on the verge of tears, and Kathleen sighed as she glanced up at the visor on the mirror above the driver's seat.

"After we find Sam Winchester," The woman said as she started the car up again and slid her seatbelt back on. Dean and Adriana both relaxed visibly at this good news. They could get to Sam and Athena and get everyone back together again.

_~Far Away~_

"What's your name again?" Jenkins bored voice echoed slightly around the room before settling in Sam and Athena's cell.

"Depends on which one of us you're talking to," Athena replied, her voice highly sarcastic.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you," Jenkins said, sitting up. Athena smirked over at him.

"If you were me then I'd be you, and I wouldn't be stupid enough to get myself in this situation in the first place," She said without thinking, relating only to the way Jenkins had been captured. His face curled into an ugly smug grin.

"Yet here you are. Besides, I was talking to the boy." Throughout the bickering, Sam had been working on the coil of metal, trying to get it loose.

"It's Sam," He said without looking up.

"Why don't you give up, then Sammy?" Jenkins jeered at him. "There's no way out."

"Don't call him Sammy," Athena said, her voice icy.

Hearing the nickname Sammy only reminded her of Dean and Adriana and she didn't want to think about them right now. Particularly not Dean. Because then she would think of how she'd never said anything before she was captured and how she might never have a chance to now. There was a slight clatter of metal as something fell to the floor. Sam picked it up, holding it between his fingers.

"What is it?" Athena asked, moving from her horizontal position on the cell floor to examine the piece of metal.

"It's a bracket, I think," Sam said, a frown playing on his face. Jenkins snorted, obviously not impressed by this.

"Well, thank God, a bracket. Now we've got 'em, huh?" His complaining was broken by the door to his cage unlocking noisily and swinging open. He stood up, walking over to it in disbelief.

"Well thank God, a bracket," Athena repeated, rolling her eyes. Of all the luck, his cage would open. They watched as he climbed out of it, inspecting the lock quickly.

"Must've been short, or maybe you knocked something loose."

"I think you should get back in there, Jenkins," Sam said seriously, standing and holding the bars of their cage.

"What?" The tone Jenkins asked in clearly indicated he thought Sam was stupid.

"This isn't right." Sam's tone was very calm, like he was speaking to someone who'd just had a supernatural experience.

"Don't you wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah but that was too easy." Before Sam or Jenkins could say anything more, Athena cut across.

"Look, Sam, if the guy wants to go and get himself killed, let him. At least it'll provide some amusement for us," She said darkly. Sam frowned at her as Jenkins glared.

"I was gonna get help but maybe I'm reconsidering now." Athena shrugged like it was no difference.

"Do what you want. I don't think all the king's horses could save you from your own stupidity."

"Jenkins, this might be a trap," Sam said seriously, trying to convince him to say.

"Bye Sammy," Jenkins said, walking across the room and pushing the barn door open. As soon as he'd gone, Sam turned to Athena.

"Why can't you keep your mouth shut?" He said, also glaring at her. She shrugged again.

"Sam, if the guy's stupid enough not to listen to us, he deserves to die." Her saying it again shocked Sam a little bit. He knew Athena was harsh but not that harsh,

"No one deserves to die, Thena," He said. "And not everyone knows what we do. So not everyone will believe us."

"Look Sam, I don't care about you giving me some talk about how you're on moral high ground. I'm just keen to get out."

"You and I both," Sam said sighing as he sat down on the ground and leaned against the metal bars of the cage. He suddenly jerked forward and looked towards the way Jenkins had gone when they both heard a scream.

"Looks like Jenkins didn't make it," Athena commented dryly, and Sam sighed.

"They're gonna come and find us," Sam told her. "They're probably already on their way right now with everything figured out."

"We'll see," Athena said.

_~Far Away~_

Adriana and Dean had convinced Kathleen to keep helping them instead of taking them back to the precinct. At the moment, they had gotten coffee and were walking back to Kathleen's SUV to discuss the new information they may or may not have acquired. Dean stopped a little ways away from the car and sighed. Adriana stopped in her walking when she noticed Dean wasn't beside her. She glanced back at him as Kathleen also stopped turning to face the two hunters.

"Officer, I don't mean to press my luck," Dean began. Kathleen gave a small smile.

"Oh, you're luck is so pressed," She said. Dean smiled at that and walked the rest of the way to the car before continuing his sentence.

"I was wondering-why are you helping us out?" He asked her as Adriana stopped beside him.

She sighed. "My brother, Riley, disappeared three years ago. A lot like Sam and his fiance. We searched for him, but—nothing." She paused, trying not to show any emotions. "I know what it's like to feel responsible for someone, and for them—Come on. Let's keep at it." She got into the car, and Dean and Adriana glanced at each other before also climbing into her car as well.

The ride was mostly silent, save for Adriana trying to strike up a conversation with Kathleen occasionally since the girl hated silence, but none of the conversations stuck. Adriana finally gave up and accepted the silence grudgingly. She decided staring at the trees would be more interesting than trying to talk to the officer. Dean suddenly leaned forward in his seat and pointed to something up ahead.

"Wait, wait, wait," He said. "Pull over here," He said. "Pull over." Kathleen obliged and pulled over the car to the side of the road. Dean hopped out of the car, and Kathleen followed with Adriana behind them. "It's the first turn-off I've seen so far," He said pointing to a small dirt road that led off into the trees.

"You two stay here, I'll check it out," Kathleen said as she moved forward.

"No way," Dean said said as he fell into step beside her.

"Hey," She said stopping in her walk. "You two are civilians. And I'm pretty sure you're both felons... I think," She added. "I'm not taking you with me."

"You're not goin' without me," Dean said.

"Us," Adriana corrected him, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Alright. You promise you won't get involved? You'll let me handle it?" Kathleen asked. Dean paused for a moment before nodded his head.

"Yeah, I promise," He said, although Adriana knew he would break that promise if Sam was in danger or Athena for that matter.

"Shake on it," Kathleen said stretching her hand forward. Dean glanced at it for a moment before accepting the handshake. Within a second, Kathleen had used her other hand to pressed a handcuff onto the hand Dean was using to shake with.

Dean groaned. "Oh come on," He said as Kathleen led him to the car and pressed the other end of the handcuffs onto the door handle. She turned to Adriana, and the blonde shook her head.

"Look I don't want any trouble," Adriana said, her arms held up in the "I come in peace" gesture.

Kathleen took a step towards the blonde, and Adriana glanced behind her towards the dirt road that led to God knows where. She could just bolt and go help Sam, but that would be leaving Dean here on his own. And she was pretty sure Kathleen would outrun her, regardless of Adriana being a hunter. She was shorter than the police officer, and therefore had shorter legs. Plus, she didn't know what awaited her down the dirt road, and she didn't want to go down alone. Not because she was afraid, but because you never wanted to go anywhere without backup.

"I can't let you go with me," Kathleen said.

"We just want to help," Adriana said as she took a step towards the officer. Which turned out to be her mistake.

Kathleen was quicker than she looked and before Adriana could think, the officer's arm had shot out and knocked Adriana in the face. Adriana stumbled back, and while she recovered from the blow, Kathleen handcuffed her to the car as well. The blonde rubbed her nose where she had been hit as Kathleen slipped the keys into her pocket and walked away down the dirt road. Dean chuckled at Adriana, and she glared at him.

"Not amused," She said.

"I'm pretty amused." He paused to glance at the officer's back. "This is ridiculous. Kathleen, I really think you're gonna need our help!" He called out.

"I'll manage, thanks," She called back before she disappeared by the trees.

"You wouldn't happen to have a bobby pin in your hair would you?" Dean asked Adriana who glared at him.

"Do I look like I carry bobby pins on me?" She questioned.

"We have _got _to start carrying paper clips," He said as he glanced around, looking for anything that could help them. "How's your nose?" He asked turning to Adriana.

"I'll live," She said. Dean lifted her chin up with his free hand, looking at her nose. He touched it lightly with his finger and she winced.

"It's not broken," He said turning his gaze back around to look for a something to get out of the handcuffs with.

"It still hurts," She commented.

He paused as he noticed the antennae of the car before grinning. He reached for it, only to fall short because it was too far away. He swore under his breath, and Adriana glanced up at him to see what he was looking for.

"Can't get it?" Adriana asked, and Dean glared at her.

"If I could get it I would've uncuffed us by now. Well, I would've uncuffed me. I might've left you here," He stated as he stretched for it again. Adriana glared before punching his upper arm.

"That's not funny," She snapped.

"Hit me again and I will leave you here," Dean stated as he stopped reaching for the antenna and gave her a look. She glared, but stayed still. "Thank you," He said before reaching for it again, only to be stopped by the sound of a truck coming from the dirt road. It was screeching and in need of great repair.

"Dean..." Adriana said quietly as she glanced over the hood of the car to see if anything was coming. Nothing was, but the noise was getting closer.

"Son of a bitch," Dean swore.

He already had enough trouble getting himself and Adriana out of the handcuffs. He didn't need some creature coming through the woods to kill him, too. He stretched further, his head falling against the white part of the car as he tried to reach further. His fingertips just barely brushed the metal of the antennae and he let out a cry of frustration. He took a deep breath before stretching further. He gritted his teeth as he felt the metal of the handcuff cut into his wrist as his fingers barely wrapped around the antennae. He slowly began to unscrew it.

He couldn't grab it in time, and the antennae fell to ground. He quickly reached down and grabbed it just as the screeching sound of the truck had stopped. Adriana ducked down beside him as he began to unpick the lock on his handcuff. Footsteps could be heard crunching through twigs on the ground, and he knew someone was coming towards them. If they were going to save Sam and Athena, getting caught wasn't the way to do it.

With a quiet click, Dean's handcuffs fell off of his wrist, and he sighed in relief before picking Adriana's as well. He grabbed them off of the car door and threw them under the car before him and Adriana moved to the back of the car as two guys came around the front. Adriana and Dean moved around the car until the two men were too preoccupied with the police cruiser to notice the two take off into the woods.

_~Far Away~_

"I'm getting pretty annoyed of only staring at hay," Athena commented as she picked up a piece of hay that had been scattered along the bottom of the cages like they were animals.

"Yeah, well, you're pretty cheerful yourself and making this predicament of ours so much more fun," Sam retorted back.

"Sorry I can't be Adriana," She snapped with a glare at the youngest Winchester.

Sam returned the glare, just as quickly. "Why would it matter that you're not Adriana?"

Athena actually snorted at his question. "You may be able to fool some people but I know you like her, Sam. You prefer her company over your own brother's." At her accusation, Sam stood up angrily.

"She's like my little sister. And don't you dare say that. You know nothing about family." Sam's voice was shaking with rage before her sneered. "You're the girl who left her own father to run off and live a fairy tale with strangers."

Athena's eyes flashed with more time than anger. Deep down, Sam could see he'd hurt Athena. But she didn't break down, she responded in typical Athena fashion.

"You ran away from your own father, Sam. Why? Because he wanted you to stay alive? Keep you near him? Because he wanted to protect you? You may think he was controlling but you know_ nothing_," Her voice cracked on the last word. "You don't know what it's like to be constantly tied down and looking after someone. Your father did. Dean does. And I did. You... You do _not_ know what it's like to have your father drink so hard he forgets who you are and it doesn't matter where his punches land. You compared yourself to Max but you know nothing."

Athena was breathing heavily by the end of her breakdown. Sam just stared at her, not knowing what to say. He opened and closed his mouth several times, each time deciding against saying what he was going to.

When he had finally thought up something that wasn't going to cause another outburst, the door to their prison had been opened and the two men from earlier came in, dragging a female with them. They opened up the cage Jenkins had been occupying previously and tossed the woman in. She was wearing at t-shirt that was dirty from being dragged through the ground, and a pair of loose fitting pants that were a navy blue. Her hair was down and looked like it had been pulled out of a ponytail or some kind of up-do.

The two men tossed her into the cage before locking the door and leaving. Sam crouched down at the end of his cage and called out to her. But she didn't respond. She was out-cold.

"Fantastic," Athena groaned. "When we were brought here Jenkins died. They don't keep more than one person around for long," She said.

"Your negativity is really not helping right now," Sam stated as the woman started to stir. He turned his attention back to her as she sat up slowly and massaged her head, growing. "You all right?" He asked her.

"Are you Sam Winchester?" She asked, then noticed Athena and glanced at her. "And Athena Knox?" Both nodded. "Your, uh, cousin is looking for you," She said looking at Sam. "And his blonde friend," She added.

"Thank God," Sam said, relief flooding his face.

"Where is he?" Athena asked, standing up and moving closer to the two.

"I, uh... I cuffed him to my car," She said. "I'm Kathleen by the way," She said. She glanced over at Athena and seemed to notice something wasn't right. "I thought he said you two were engaged. Where's your ring?" She asked her.

Athena's eyes widened for a split second before relaxing back to normal. "I don't always wear it. I'm a very paranoid person... don't wanna lose it, you know," She said quickly, lying smoothly.

Kathleen nodded her head, believing her story as the door opened. No one bothered to look up because they figured it had to be one of their captors. But the voice that greeted them surprised them all.

"Sam?" Dean called. Sam smiled as his brother and Adriana came into view. "Are you hurt?" He asked looking at Sam.

"No," He said as Dean turned to Athena and crouched down to where she was sitting on the ground, leaning against the metal of the cage.

"What about you?" He asked her. "You all right?"

She nodded as she looked at him, a rare smile on her face. "Never thought I'd say this, but it's good to see you again," She joked. Dean returned the smile.

"Sam!" Adriana grinned as she quickly stood in front of Sam, her fingers interlocking with Sam's over the metal bars.

"How did you get out of the cuffs?" Kathleen asked. Dean turned away from Athena to face the officer in the other cage as Adriana turned her head slightly to look at her.

Dean smirked. "I know a trick or two," He replied. She shook her head at him as he moved to look at the locks on the cage Sam was in. "Oh, these look like they're gonna be a bitch."

"Classy, Dean," Adriana said, and Athena couldn't help but smile at the familiar banter between them all.

She was genuinely happy to have them back. She hadn't realized how much she had missed both of them. It was good to see the blonde and the older Winchester arguing again, it brought normalcy into her life of everything that wasn't normal. She watched Dean move around, trying to figure a way to get them all out, and she couldn't help but smile. He had come for them, and now she had the chance to say what she had been thinking the whole time they had been trapped in here. But now that she had the opportunity, she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him or not.

If she told him, he might not feel the same way. And for her to tell him, that was way out of her comfort zone. She rarely felt like this... with anyone. This was new to her. She wasn't positive what she felt for Dean, but she knew she felt differently about than she had before with any other guy. She didn't know if it was love or what, but she knew it was different.

"Dean." Athena's face came out sharper than she meant it to. Dean glanced her way before walking over to the control panel. "Dean, they're just people." Dean smirked as he began pressing buttons.

"I know. The things you have the most problems with," he responded, teasingly. Athena stiffened on instinct. After going off at Sam earlier, she felt particularly vulnerable. "But seriously, Thena. They jumped you? Must be getting a little bit rusty." Athena glared at him.

"How can I be rusty when I'm brand new?" she asked, rolling her eyes. Before Dean could reply, Adriana cut across.

"What do they want?" she asked. Sam lifted his shoulders.

"We don't know," he said, glancing at Athena. "They let Jenkins go but that was some sort of trap." Athena mumbled something about him screaming like a little bitch, making Adriana press her lips together to stop herself from smiling. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Well, that's the point, Sammy. You know, with our usual... playmates," he said, his eyes flicking briefly towards Kathleen who was listening to the conversation intently. "There's rules. There's patterns. But with people, they're just crazy."

"See anything else out there?" Sam enquired.

"There's about two dozen junked cars hidden out back," Adriana told him. "Plates from all over. They probably take the person's car when they take them."

"Did you see a black Mustang out there too? About ten years old?" Kathleen spoke in a quiet voice, as if she didn't really want to know the answer. Adriana nodded slowly in reply.

"Yeah we did." Kathleen's face fell. "Was it your brother's?" Adriana asked cautiously. She knew what it was like to lose a family member. She couldn't imagine losing Dean, who was so much like a brother to her. "I'm sorry..." There was a pause when none of them spoke, some sort of connection telling them to give Kathleen's brother a moment's silence.

"Let's get you guys out of here," Dean said, his voice hard when he broke the silence. "Then we;ll take care of those bastards." He finally turned away from the control panel. "That things takes a key," he said, pointing at it. "Key?"

"Oh yes Dean, I just carry keys for this sort of occasion around with me," Athena said, rolling her eyes.

"With you, we'll never know," he replied, smirking and winking at her. "But alright... We'll go look for it," he said, shooting Adriana a sideways glance. She nodded and they turned to walk out of the room.

"Hey Dean?" Athena called just before he walked out the door. He paused, looking back at her. "Be careful." Dean nodded, his thoughts turning as he followed Adriana out. Athena knew he could handle himself. She'd never told him to be careful before. _It's because she got captured_ he reasoned with himself, but he had a niggling feeling there was something more.

"Dean? Are you listening?" Adriana hissed at him, annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Dean said, jogging to catch up to her.

They exited the barn that was where Sam and Athena were being kept before jogging across the yard to where the house was. They moved around the back of it and found a door before Dean turned the knob and it opened. He shrugged as he glanced at Adriana before pushing the door and stepping inside carefully. Both were quiet as they moved into the house and closing the door behind them. Dean motioned for Adriana to follow him as he entered into another dark room off to the right.

Dean turned on his flashlight and moved it around the room, illuminating glass jars filled with liquids and other strange things, some even containing body parts. Adriana wrinkled her nose in disgust as Dean walked over and picked up a jar, examining it more closely.

"That's disgusting," Adriana commented. Dean placed the jar back on the shelf.

"Yikes," He said before turning around to examine the room. Off on one wall were a bunch of polaroid pictures, two men standing beside a dead body in each. "Demons I get... people are crazy," Dean said.

"Yeah, you can tell them that when we find them. Come on," Adriana said, getting him to focus as she moved further into the house and found a set of stairs that led up into the actual house. At the moment they were in some shed off to the side of the house.

Dean moved in front of Adriana and led the way up the stairs. He peeked his head through the small opening between the door and the wall, and saw someone in the kitchen moving around. An old record was playing in the background. When the person in the kitchen moved off into another room, Dean entered into the house with Adriana behind him. They moved closer to the wall where a pile of keys were all in a glass bowl. Dean started to pick through them then stopped handing Adriana his flashlight. He noticed a jar of teeth sitting beside the bowl.

"Dean! Stop playing around!" Adriana hissed through her teeth. Dean rolled his eyes as he set the jar down just as a creak of the wooden floor sounded behind them. They both turned around to see a little girl standing there, her hair frizzy and dirty and her clothes worn and tattered.

Dean held his hands out in a peaceful gesture. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you," Dean told her. The girl simply smiled darkly.

"I know," She said as she pulled out a knife and threw it at Dean. It stuck in his jacket, holding him to the wall. "Daddy!" She shouted. Adriana started to rush at the girl as Dean tried to pull the knife out of his jacket, but two hands grabbed onto her arms from behind, stopping her from hitting the little girl.

"HEY!" Adriana cried as she jerked out of the man's grasp as Dean pulled the knife out of the wall and held it out.

Someone came behind Dean, grabbing his arms and holding him still. Another man rushed at him as Adriana turned to face the little girl who had swung out at her with another knife she had picked up. Dean jumped into the air, using the momentum of the man holding him, and kicked the one in the chest that was rushing out at him. The one holding Dean threw him into the wall, causing the knife to fall out of his hand. Adriana dodged the little girl's knife and sidestepped her, causing her to run into the wall.

She dropped the knife in her hand and rushed Adriana again, this time knocking her in the face as the man whom Dean had kicked rushed at him. Dean grabbed him first and pushed him down to the ground as Adriana lost her balance and stumbled to the ground. Dean punched the man who had grabbed him before being shoved into the wall as well. They all got up, groaning with Dean grabbing Adriana and keeping her by his side. He groaned as he tried to catch his breath before pointing at one of the men, then they other.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, and then I'm gonna kick yours," He said but didn't get to say anything else as he was hit in the back of the head with a pan.

"Dean!" Adriana exclaimed as she turned around, her hand going to her back where she always kept her gun. She started to pull it out but one of the men that had been fighting Dean stepped forward, grabbing her and stopping her from doing so.

"Get him up and in a chair, Lee," The older man who had knocked Dean out said. The man not holding Adriana moved forward and lifted Dean up before dragged him over to a chair and sitting him in it. "Tie her up or hold her. I don't care, Jared," He said.

"Let me go!" Adriana shouted as she tried to get out of his grasp, but she was too small. Lee tied Dean up to the chair and stood back, waiting for him to wake up.


	22. Going Under

Dean blinked his eyes open, realizing he was staring into his lap with his head hung low. He groaned as his head started pounding, and he knew he had been hit in the back of his head. He winced, shutting his eyes quickly and taking a deep breath. When the pounding became duller, he reopened his eyes and picked his head up to see the three men he had been fighting crowding around him, one holding Adriana. He closed his eyes again and tried to move his hands, but they were tied behind his back.

"Come on, Pa. Let us hunt him," Lee said.

"Yeah, this one's a fighter," The man holding Adriana, Jared, said. "This one should be fun to hunt." He grinned wickedly.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," Dean said. "That's what this is about? You yahoos hunt people?" He asked, the pounding in his head finally going away.

"Just let us go!" Adriana exclaimed. The older man moved over to Dean and leaned over so he was eye-to-eye with him.

"You ever killed before?" He questioned Dean.

Dean smirked slightly. "Well, that depends on what you mean."

"I've hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive," He said as he grinned darkly at the thought.

"You're a sick monster!" Adriana snapped. The older man laughed at her.

"We give 'em a weapon. Give 'em a fightin' chance," he said, stepping forward and leering at her. "It's kind of like our tradition passed down, father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we never been that sloppy."

"Yeah, well, don't sell yourself short," Dean retorted. "You're plenty sloppy."

"So what, you two with the pretty cop?" he asked, studying Dean. "Are you a cop?"

"If I tell you." Dean couldn't stop himself from responding, smirking. "You promise not to make either of us into ashtrays?" The man looked angry and he nodded at his son, who walked over to Dean and punched him in the gut. Dean doubled over and Adriana stepped towards Lee, her fists clenched.

"Only reason I don't let my boys take your pretty lady friend right here, in front of you, is because there's something I need to know." The man's tone made it clear what he was insinuating about Adriana and she tried to stop a shudder running through her. He walked over to the fire, picking up a larger iron poker.

"Yeah, how about it's not nice to marry your sister?" Dean said, unable to stop himself even while he was doubled over in pain.

"Tell me," the man asked, walking forwards to Adriana. He took her chin in his dirty hand and she struggled, trying to wrench out of his grasp. She didn't want to do anything too drastic, though, because she knew it would result in Dean being hurt. "Are any cops gonna come looking for you?" Adriana glared at him, defiant.

"Oh eat me," Dean said, more to get the man's attention off Adriana than to be smart this time. As Jared walked over, he kept talking. "No, no, no, wait, wait- you actually might." In response, Jared grabbed his head and held it.

"You think this is funny?" the father asked, still holding Adriana's chin tightly as he looked over at Dean. "You brought this down on my family. Alright, you wanna play games. Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all boys." He finally let go of Adriana and walked over to Dean. "And you get to pick the animal. My, aren't we spoilt for choice tonight," he said, smirking. "The boy, the girl or the cop." Dean stared at him.

"Okay, wait, wait," Dean said, his voice now calmer and a little bit of worry. "Nobody's coming for us, alright? It's just us."

"You don't choose who, I will," the father said before placing the poker against Dean's chest. He was unable to stop the grunt of pain. Adriana moved across the room, yanking his arm down. The father knocked her away with a single blow and she fell to the floor. Jared was quickly over there and holding her up, holding her so she couldn't move at all. Dean watched helplessly.

"Oh, you son of a bitch," he said as the poker travelled from his chest to an inch from his eye.

"Next time, I'll take an eye," the father threatened. "Or I'll let Jared take her."

Dean took a deep breath. He had to choose between his brother, someone who was close to him and someone completely innocent. He knew out of them all, Kathleen had the least chance of survival. That left Athena and Sam. He swallowed. Adriana watched his inner debate, dread filling her stomach. She knew Dean wouldn't pick Kathleen, but she didn't know what he would do.

"Alright," Dean said through clenched teeth. "The guy, take the guy."

Adriana felt as though she'd been punched in her stomach. She knew that Dean must have chosen Sam because he thought he had the best chance. And it made sense. Sam had been hunting a lot longer than Athena. But Adriana couldn't help but think that Dean didn't pick Athena because he didn't want her in danger. And putting Sam in danger made Adriana sick with worry. She watched as Lee let go of Dean and his father handed him a key.

"Lee, go do it. Don't let him out though. Shoot him in the cage."

"What?" Dean asked, incredulous. "I thought you said you were gonna hunt him. You were gonna give him a chance." His voice was flat as though he couldn't believe what was happening. Before Lee left the room, his father spoke.

"Lee, when you're done with the boy- shoot the bitches too. If you want," he said, leering back at Adriana. "And you better clean up the mess before any more cops come running out here." Dean met Adriana's gaze. They both wore expressions of absolute terror. There was no escape from a bullet into a cage.

_~Far Away~_

"You think Dean got himself into more trouble?" Athena asked, leaning her head back against the metal bars of the cage. It had been a while since Dean and Adriana had left to go find the key to unlock the cages. Knowing him, he was in trouble.

"Nah. Dean'll be okay," Sam said, his voice a little uneasy, like he was trying to convince himself more than her. "It's Dean. He can manage any situation."

"It's been a while, Sam," Athena pointed out, her eyes closed. Her posture made her appear like she was bored, which she probably was. Sitting around in cages was not fun.

"I know it's been a while, Athena," Sam replied with a roll of his eyes at the girl.

"Well, you're acting like they've only been gone five minutes. I know you've got faith in your brother and Adriana and all that family loyalty, but it's been a while. They've been gone a while. I'm not saying they bailed, I'm simply saying something happened," Athena said quickly adding the last part when Sam's eyes widened.

"Brother?" Kathleen asked. "I thought he was your cousin?"

Sam sighed before turning to face the woman in the cage across from him. "He's my brother," He said, and watched as her eyes widened.

"Dean? That's his name?" She asked, and Sam nodded. "On your record... it says you have a brother named Dean... And that he's wanted for murder."

"We promise you, that's a misunderstanding," Sam told her. "Does he seem like a murderer to you? He's trying to save you."

Kathleen nodded. She didn't know what was going on, but she was pretty positive that Dean was not a murderer. If he was, she was sure he would have killed her when he had the chance. Of course, there was the possibility he hadn't killed her because he needed her to find his brother, but for some reason that didn't seem like him. He seemed like he cared too much about helping others, and that wasn't a trait most murderers had. She looked back at Sam before sighing as she made up her mind to let them go when they got out of this.

"If he ever finds the key and gets down here _to_ save us," Athena pointed out.

"I cannot _wait_ until you and him finally sleep together. Maybe then you won't be on each other's case all the time," Sam muttered under his breath, but Athena heard him anyways and glared.

"So, I'm guessing she's not actually your fiancee as well," Kathleen said, her tone frustrated but a little bit amused. Sam laughed.

"No, I have no clue why Dean told you that," he replied, shrugging. Athena was still glowering at him from his comment.

"Maybe you should bed Adriana and then you'd be less concerned with my sex life than your own nonexistent one," she retorted. Sam returned her glare, as Athena smirked.

The door swung open and they all glanced over, expecting to see Adriana or Dean. Instead, a dirty man with a rifle stood in the doorway. He walked over slowly, leering at them. They watched as he walked over to the control panel and slid a key into place before twisting it. There was a 'click' and the door to Sam's cage unlocked, swinging open ever so slightly. He didn't like the way this was going down, and he looked around for something that he could use as a weapon, anything to defend himself with.

His gaze landed on the bracket he had pulled loose earlier and he quickly scooped it up and the man walked closer to him. Sam backed away from him instinctively before touching the back wall of the cage. There was nowhere else left to go. The man pulled the cage door open before pointing his shotgun at Sam whose eyes widened. Just before the man pulled the trigger, Kathleen shouted out. The man turned, giving Sam the distraction he needed. He lunged forward, grabbing at the shotgun just as Lee turned back around, his finger closing around the trigger. Sam hit the shotgun just as it was fired, causing the bullet to bounce off the wall. He rushed forward, pushing Lee to the ground, the bracket rolling out of his hand in the scuffle.

_~Far Away~_

Inside the house, Dean watched helplessly as Lee walked out of the house, shotgun in hand. There was nothing he could do to warn Sam or even offer assistance. He started to struggle against the ropes that tied his hands behind the back of the chair causing the father to grin, showing several missing teeth.

"Ain't no sense in trying to get out," He sneered. "Your friends will be dead before you can even blink," He added. Dean stopped in his struggle to glare at the older man.

"Look, we don't want any trouble," Adriana said, squirming to get out of Jared's grasp. "We'll leave you alone!"

"Leave us alone?" The father stepped towards her. "You know about our game, we can't let you live," He said.

Adriana glared hard at him, her lips pursed. She was terrified, but there was no way she was going to show that. For some reason, being in this situation was more terrifying to her than any supernatural creature they had hunted. Supernatural creatures had rules, patterns, things that they could do to get rid of them. Humans followed and did what they wanted. There was no way to stop them, and if the human felt like killing them then it would. There was no way to stop it or reason with it.

"What do you think, Jared? You like what you see?" The father asked his son, his gaze on Adriana's blue eyes. His son nodded before the father turned to look at Dean. "You see, my sons haven't seen a pretty girl in a while, and your dark-haired friend in there and this one are quite the eye-catchers."

"Look," Dean began breathing heavily as he glanced at Adriana. "Let her go and just hunt me, all right?" He said, trying to find some way out of this.

Jared smirked, glancing down at the blonde in his grasp. "She'd be more fun to hunt," He said as the older man picked up the burning hot poker again and took a step towards Adriana.

She whimpered against her will, but the man stopped when a gunshot reached their ears, coming from the direction of the barn. Dean's eyes widened as he turned his head in the direction of the sound and Adriana's breathing quickened. Lee was just one man against Sam, Athena and Kathleen... they had to get out alive. There was no way they couldn't. But Adriana couldn't help but feel a knot twisting in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Sam being hurt. Apparently it didn't sit too well with Dean either.

He turned towards the older man, his eyes flashing with anger. "You hurt my brother, I'll kill you, I swear!" He shouted at him, anger lacing each word he spoke. "You hurt either of them, I'll kill you all! I will kill you all!"

The father dropped the poker back into the hot coals and stepped towards the front door. He opened it and glanced out for a moment. "Lee?" He called out for his son. There was no response from the man. "Lee!"

"Pa?" Jared asked, waiting to be told what to do. He turned towards them and moved back inside the room.

"Jared, you come with me. Missy, you watch these two."

Jared shoved Adriana against the wall, her hitting her head in the process. She groaned in pain as she slid down into a sitting position, holding her head in her hands. She opened her eyes, but the room spun around her. She wouldn't be able to move for a while, which was probably the point of what Jared had done. She pulled her hand away to see a little trickle of blood from where her head had hit the wall. She groaned before holding her head again, her knees drawn up to her chest as Jared grabbed two rifles before tossing one to his father and leaving. The little girl, Missy, stood by Dean, a small knife in her hand, ready to attack in case either one of them tried to escape the house.

_~Far Away~_

Sam managed to grab the shotgun out of Lee's hands and hit him in the head a few times. Sam climbed off of him, the gun in his hands as the other man groaned, unable to really move at the moment. The younger Winchester unloaded the gun, letting the bullets fall out onto the ground before tossing the gun off to the side. Sam grabbed the keys off of Lee before walking over to the control panel and unlocking Athena and Kathleen's cages. Athena instantly stood up, thankful to be able to move out of that metal prison.

"Can you two move him into one of the cages?" Sam asked the two women.

Both nodded their heads before hauling Lee into Sam's empty cage. Athena closed the door, and Sam locked it from the control panel. He didn't know how much time they would have, but they needed to figure out a plan of attack and quick. He moved over a box in the corner of the barn and opened it. Inside were a bunch of different switches for parts of the house. Some electricity, others water.

"Sam, what's the plan?" Athena asked as she moved over to him.

"It's about to go dark," He said before flipping a switch in the box. All the lights in the barn went off, leaving them in pitch darkness. "Control panel should be useless too." He closed the box before turning around. At least now things were about even for the odds.

"Lee! Where are ya?" A voice sounded from just outside the barn. "Lee!"

Sam motioned for the two women to hide, and they did as he requested. Kathleen hid behind a cabinet while Sam hid behind a bale of hay and Athena hid behind a large crate. They didn't have a lot going for them at the moment other than the element of surprise.

"They must've blown a fuse," Another voice said. There were noises through the darkness, as a man grunted. The father climbed a ladder leading to the balcony as Kathleen moved around the cabinet. She swung it open but stopped as she heard a noise. One of the men inside the barn heard it as well. He lifted his rifle and fired it at the cabinet door. Athena froze, listening for anything more. She heard the cabinet door swing open again.

"I can't see anyone," Jared whined. Athena smirked as Kathleen fell from the ceiling, landing on top of him. She wrestled her arms around his neck, but Jared threw her off.

"You stupid bitch," he said, aiming his shotgun at her, ready to fire. Athena stepped out into the light.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said, her eyes darting between Kathleen and Jared. Jared's eyes snapped up, his attention diverting to Athena. He lifted the gun higher, now aiming at Athena. She just stared him down as he cocked the hammer back.

"Hey!" A call came from the opposite side to where Athena was standing and Jared spun to see Sam. He pulled the trigger but Sam dodged it. As he did so, Pa walked in and the bullet hit him. He fell to the ground. Athena ran at Jared while he was distracted. she grabbed the gun and slammed it into his face. His nose exploded with blood and he stumbled backwards. She kept hitting him in the face until he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"He's out, Sam," she called before leaning down to help Kathleen up. She smiled gratefully at Athena as she stood and brushed herself down.

"Help me chuck him in here," she told the cop, before they crouched and lifted Jared. They tossed him into the cage and closed the door before Athena walked over to the control panel to lock it. Before she could, Sam was there and he pressed the button. The cage's mechanism whirred and the door locked.

In the meantime, Kathleen had pulled her gun out of her holster and walked over to the father. She had it aimed at him, a look of grim determination on her face.

"'ll watch this one," she said without turning to Sam. "You two go ahead." There was a pause. Sam looked like he was about to say something but Athena placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him. She nodded her head to the exit of the barn and they both walked out, quickly making their way to the main house. As they did so, they heard a gunshot.

"Just leave it," Athena said before Sam could say anything. He sighed and she kept walking towards the house.

_~Far Away~_

"Adriana?" Dean called out to the blonde girl who was leaning against the wall for support. "Adrie!" His gaze flitted from her to the girl standing in front of him with a knife, making sure he didn't go anywhere.

"My head..." Adriana groaned as she opened her eyes to look at Dean.

"You okay?" He asked. She nodded her head to him, and he glanced at Missy, trying to think of a plan to get them out of here. There was two of them and only one of her, but Adriana was unable to do much at this moment, leaving Dean on his own.

"My pa will be back any minute now," Missy told Dean. That's not exactly what Dean wanted to hear. He nodded his head, still running plans through his head. He didn't do well when he thought, and thinking was taking up too much time.

"Drie?" He watched as the blonde glanced up, her blue eyes clearing slightly. Their gazes locked, and she nodded her head, understanding what he was saying. The two had been stuck in situations together before, and they worked well as a team.

Adriana took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her headache mostly disappearing with it, before kicking her leg out and tripping Missy. The girl landed on her back, the knife sliding out of her hand. While she regained her breath, Adriana stood up and darted over to Dean before cutting the ropes that held his wrists together. The ropes fell away and he quickly stood up and kicked the knife out of Missy's grasp just as she started to reach for it. He smirked at the girl as she stood up, her eyes glaring.

"No, you don't," Dean said just before she rushed at him.

He sidestepped at the last second, and she ran straight into a small room. Adriana quickly closed the door behind her as Dean dragged his chair up and latched it just underneath the door knob, locking Missy inside. She banged and tried to shove the door open, but it wouldn't budge. She screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to get out. Dean glanced at Adriana and, after making sure she was okay, led the way outside just as the sunlight was coming up. Both of them were dirty with their clothes ripped and tattered. They each had their own battle wounds, some from being punched and others from being burned or thrown into a wall.

Adriana and Dean stepped down the broken stairs of the house before touching ground. Sam and Athena were walking towards them from the barn, both looking even dirtier than the other two. The blonde girl's face broke out into a grin when she saw them before darting across the yard into Sam's awaiting arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, her entire posture relaxing in relief that they were both all right. Sam wrapped his arms around her small waist and lifted her up off the floor in a hug.

Dean stopped in front of the two and wrinkled his nose at Athena. "You need a shower," He said teasingly. She glared hard at him, but said nothing.

"I was so worried," Adriana said as she pulled her head back to look at Sam, still hugging him. "If you ever go missing again, I will have to kill you myself."

Sam chuckled. "I'll remember that next time."

Adriana smiled. "Good," She said before stepping back from him.

Before Athena could think, Adriana was tackling her in a hug as well. She was taken aback by the force the small girl attacked her with. Without thinking, she returned the hug, wrapping her arms around her as well. When she caught Dean staring at her and grinning, Athena shook her head and pulled a face.

"Wow... thanks Drie..." she said sarcastically, loud enough for Dean to here. However, there was also hesitation in her voice, showing she didn't truly mean it.

"You're welcome," the blonde replied, pulling away and grinning up at her cheekily. Athena rolled her eyes before smiling back.

"Surely that wasn't an actual smile from the ice cold goddess?" Dean aked, teasing. Athena's smiled quickly flicked to a glare as she turned her gaze onto him. But she found she couldn't hold it like she normally could, not after what she'd been thinking while locked in the cell. Dean opened his mouth, like he was about to say something.

"Where's Kathleen?" he asked, after a moment's pause, like he'd changed his mind at the last minute. Athena stared at him hard.

"Where do you think she is?" she replied, annoyed.

"Right behind you, so it would seem," Kathleen said, making Athena turn. "Where's the girl?" Kathleen asked, her question directed at Dean.

"Locked her in a closet," Dean said.

"Well, if only you had of told me you liked it rough sooner," Athena muttered, unable to help herself. Dean ignored her, his gaze meeting Kathleen's. "Where's the dad?" A heavy silence hung in the group.

"Shot. Trying to escape." Kathleen's reply was said while she was looking at the ground. Dean glanced at Adriana, before back at Athena. She nodded, confirming his thoughts.

"Well, I suppose you just gotta phone your team in," Sam said tactfully.

"Already done that on the way over," Kathleen replied, giving him a tired smile. The walkie-talkie on her hip crackled and she stepped away, holding it up to her lips.

"Where's the Impala, Dean?" Athena asked after looking around at the cars. Dean thought for a second before groaning.

"I think it's at the police station."

"You think? But you don't know? Pretty slack for something you call your child," Athena told him, smirking. Before Dean could retort anything, the walkie-talkie crackled as Kathleen stepped back into the group.

_"Backup unit en route to your location,"_ it said. Kathleen turned to the four hunters, facing them seriously.

"So, state police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna wanna talk to you." She paused, meeting everyone's eyes individually. "I suggest that you're all long gone by then."

"Thanks," Sam said, smiling gratefully. Adriana mirrored his smile. She knew that Kathleen could lose her job, but letting them go was easier than the explaining.

"Listen, I don't mean to press our luck," Athena started. "But we're kinda in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?" Kathleen laughed.

"Start walking," she advised. "Duck if you see a cop car." Athena groaned before turning away from the ranch. Adriana giggled and watched as she began to walk away. Dean and Sam soon followed her.

"Kathleen?" Adriana called the cop's name as she started to turn away. She turned back. "I'm really sorry about your brother." Adriana knew that it must be an incredibly hard time for her. She'd lost her father which was on a different level, but the image of losing Dean or Athena was painful.

"Thank you," Kathleen replied, her voice the shakiest Adriana had heard it over the few days. "It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth—but it isn't really." There was a pause and she turned away, blinking. "You should go." Adriana nodded softly before turning to catch up to Dean, Sam and Athena.

"Never do that again," Dean was saying to his little brother.

"Do what?" Sam asked, glancing at him.

"Go missin' like that," Dean replied, and Sam laughed.

"You were worried about me," He said.

"I was, even if he won't admit it," She stated. Dean rolled his eyes at her.

"All I'm sayin' is, you vanish like that again, I'm not lookin' for ya," Dean stated then glanced at Athena. "That goes for you, too."

"I highly doubt that," Athena stated smirking. Sam nodded.

"You'll come looking," He said.

"I won't!" Dean declared, and Sam chuckled.

"So, you got sidelined by a thirteen year old girl?" He asked, glancing at Dean.

"Shut up!" Dean exclaimed, and everyone started laughing.

"Just sayin', getting a little rusty there, kiddo," Sam said, echoing Dean's earlier words to him. Dean nudged Sam and shook his head.

"Shut up," He said as they continued to walk.

After a few minutes, Adriana's head started to hurt again from walking. Sam made everyone stop so he could look at it. He moved her hair aside to reveal a large bump that was forming on her forehead, along with a small trickle of blood that had dried along the hairline on the side of her head. He wiped away the dried blood before she stepped back, one hand pressed to the side of her head.

"It's just a bump. You might have a small concussion, but it's nothing serious. You'll be fine," Sam told her.

"You promise?" She asked, smiling at him. He nodded, returning the gesture.

"Yes, I promise," He said before crouching down. "Hop on. It'll help lessen the pain," He added before she hopped up on his back because none of them knew how far away they were from the police station.

After thirty minutes and some arguments later, the police station came into view. Dean told Athena, Sam and Adriana to wait while he snuck into the back of the station and got the Impala, which they agreed to. Sneaking was always easier with less people, plus, Adriana was asleep on Sam's back and he wouldn't be able to move very fast anyways. After a few moments of silence, Sam glanced over at Athena as he lifted Adriana up higher onto his back. Athena met his gaze warily as a small Winchester smirk graced his lips.

"So, you going to tell Dean?" He asked.

"Tell Dean what?" Athena questioned him.

"Don't play dumb; it doesn't suit you," He said, and Athena was a little shocked. That sounded like something Dean would've said, not Sam.

"I don't know what you're getting at," Athena said, her voice more quiet. In fact, she did know and she was hoping this wouldn't come up in conversation. Mostly because she had no idea what to say about it.

"I saw the look in your eyes," Sam stated. "You care about him. And don't try to deny it because it won't help either of you." He paused as the Impala came into view. "If it's any consolation, he cares about you, too," He added before Dean got out of the car and took Adriana off of Sam's back and helped her into the backseat beside his little brother.

He got back in just as Athena got into the passenger side. She was just staring forward, turning Sam's words over in her mind. She knew he was right but she didn't know what to do about it. The Impala pulled out of the police station and soon they hit the main highway.

"Where are we going?" Athena asked Dean. He shrugged, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"I figured we'd just hit the road, get a bit closer to one of the bigger cities, stay the night along the way and get another case," he replied. She nodded, before glancing back at Sam. He was leaning over and brushing a loose strand of hair off Adriana's face, while smiling as the blonde slept on. If she needed to tell Dean how she felt, Sam needed to do the same about Adriana.

"Can I drive?" Athena asked, turning back and smirking.

"No." She laughed and leaned further back into her seat.

"Well, whatever place you're aiming for, can you get there fast? I look terrible." Dean snorted at this comment.

"Like you've ever cared about your appearance," he responded and Athena raised her eyebrows at him. Dean smirked before adding something. "But I will do as you requested because like I said, you need a shower." Athena rolled her eyes.

"You're not smelling like roses yourself."

"I'm glad. Roses are girly. I smell like man."

"And now I'm just waiting for you to start thumping your chest." Dean chuckled, continuing to drive.

About ten minutes after they stopped talking, Athena fell asleep in the front, something that was rare for her. Dean guessed she must be tired after being taken, and he realised he'd barely talked to either her or Sam about it. When they were close to one of the larger cities they had been close to, Dean pulled the car off the highway. Sam had barely said a word, but rather than being asleep, he was just being quiet. Dean worried about him. He didn't know what went on in his brother's mind and that scared him. He pulled into a hotel just down the road and stopped the car. He turned to look back at Sam before speaking in a low voice.

"Sammy, what are we gonna do about the girls?" he asked.

"I can carry Drie, but I'm not sure how much Thena would appreciate being carried," Sam replied, smiling tiredly at his brother. "But if she's that tired, it's probably better not to wake her. Go get the rooms and then we'll try doing this."

Dean nodded before stepping out of the car, walking to the main room. He quickly booked a room and got his key, before walking back to the car. He walked around and pulled the passenger door open. Sam was right—not only would Athena not appreciate this, she would also be a lot more awkward to carry than Adriana's small form. He hesitated before wrapping his arms around her, lifting her out and carrying her bridal style. She stirred a little in her sleep but she didn't wake up. After a couple of minutes, Sam followed with Adriana.

Dean almost laughed at how ridiculous they both would have looked—two grown men carrying tired woman—but instead focused on unlocking the door to their room. It was almost exactly the same as every other room except there were three beds. One of them was in a separate room from the main room, giving that person more privacy. While the bed problem had been solved, there would probably be an argument over who got the other bed. Dean quickly made his way over to it and lowered the brunette girl down onto it, figuring no one could complain if Athena was asleep.

As he did release her, she stirred awake. Dean knew she was a light sleeper, often awaking at the same times as Sam, while he and Adriana continued to sleep through the night, but her grey eyes were clouded over when they first blinked open.

"Dean?" she asked, her voice low with sleep. He met her gaze with a half smile.

"Yeah, it's just me," he said before continuing in a light tone. "You were asleep and I had to get you inside somehow." Before she could reply, Sam appeared in the doorway.

"She alright, man?" he asked, and Dean nodded without facing his brother.

"Yeah, I woke her up though."

"Her has a name, Dean," Athena replied but there was none of her normal bite to her tone. Maybe it was because she was still tired or maybe it was because this was the closest she'd been to Dean, physically, since she'd realised how she felt about him.

"Is Drie still asleep?" Dean asked, finally turning to face Sam. He was looking at Dean with an odd expression before he nodded.

"Yeah, she didn't even wake up." Athena sat up off the bed, pulling her boots off and running her fingers through her jet black hair. She rarely wore it out, preferring to have it tied up in a bun.

"You wanna get the stuff in from the car then?" Dean asked his brother, trying to ignore Athena's movements beside him.

Sam nodded again and a couple of seconds later, Dean heard the outside door close. He turned back to Athena. Her eyes were bright, she was completely awake now and watching him intently. It made him feel uncomfortable. It made him feel like he was lying to her, which in a way, he was. He still hadn't told her how he felt about her, which was more than just a fellow hunter.

"What?" she asked reproachfully when he just met her gaze without saying anything. He'd noticed that unlike most people, Athena didn't look younger or more vulnerable in her sleep. But under the harsh lights of the motel with her black hair tumbling around her face, she looked defenceless. It was funny to Dean, considering just how defensive she was, even when she wasn't being attacked. And right there in that moment, Dean decided he wanted to break down at least one of her defences.

He leaned over and pushed her back down against the bed, his lips forcefully meeting hers. Instead of pushing him, and punching him like he'd expected, Athena kissed him back, just as hard. Despite being skilled in this area, after the many women he'd been through, he paused for a minute, startled by the force of her kiss. In that moment, Athena retaliated. She kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth and wrapping her legs around his. Dean moved fully onto her, his hands moving down her side, feeling her shiver as he did so. He slid his hand under her shirt, cupping her breast and she responded by biting his lower lip.

He growled at the bite before pushing his hips into hers. Her back arched at the contact and her head tipped back, breaking the kiss. Dean took that opportunity to pull her shirt off over her head and tossed it somewhere in the room before removing his own where it joined hers on the floor, discarded in a corner. Athena immediately pressed herself against him, missing the warmth his body provided against hers. Her lips met his again as his hands wandered over her back, quickly finding her bra clip and removing the bra.

She grinned at him, her grey eyes glinting. Her normally pale skin was slightly flushed as she pressed her hips up into his again, teasingly. Dean moved his mouth along her jaw, reaching the skin of her neck. He kissed along it and she moaned lightly, the noise barely audible. Her fingers wound through his hair as she tipped her head back further, giving him more access. And Dean took it, his lips moving lower before nibbling at the crook of her neck.

As he worked at her neck, one of his hands slid up her side before cupping her breast in his hand, his thumb lightly brushing over her nipple. She pressed her body into his hand, arching her back to get more friction against her skin. Dean complied, lowering his mouth to her nipple and taking it into his mouth. Athena moaned again, a soft sort of cry. Her fingers wound in his hair, focusing on the sensations that were emerging because of what his tongue was doing to her body. She'd been with a few guys but she'd never wanted them as intensely or for such a prolonged period of time as she did Dean Winchester.

The want became too much and she pulled back from his lips and pushed him down onto the bed. She slid her body along his, straddling him and pressing her hips into his. Dean groaned at the feeling, noticing that his own body had responded.

"Shoulda known you liked it on top," he said lightly as Athena worked at the buttons at the top of his jeans. She grinned again in response, slowly and teasingly unzipping the zip at the top of his jeans. She moved off him briefly to peel his jeans away from his body slowly.

"The question is, can you handle it?" She said, smirking down at him before running her index finger down his chest, stopping just at the waistband of his boxers.

She pulled them down his legs before he kicked them off. She continued to smirk as she rolled off of him to slide her own jeans and underwear off. The second the items of clothing were discarded, he moved on top of her, a smirk on his face now.

"I'm not a fan of being submissive," He stated, a teasing tone in his voice. She pouted up at him.

"That's hardly fair."

"I'm not one for being fair," He told her before pushing his hips against hers, and thrusting inside of her.

Athena gasped. While she had been expecting it, she hadn't expected to have as strong a reaction as she did right now. She wrapped her legs around his and moved her hips up, in return. Dean groaned slightly and the pace suddenly took off. Their bodies met the others, twisting to become part of each other. Athena gasped again as Dean moved himself deep into her and she fought to keep up as she felt a burning feeling building in her body. Her fingernails raked over Dean's back, leaving scratches as she cried out his name.

Dean smothered her lips in a kiss, continuing to move inside of her, not knowing where his skin left off and her skin began. Athena cried out again as the feeling overtook her, surging through her body and making her arch her back up into Dean. Dean groaned again and thrust into her one final time before feeling himself release. His breathing was heavy and fast, to match hers as he moved to lay on the bed beside her. Athena curled into him, still dazed from the feeling of climaxing.

"Dean, it would be nice if I could get a little help here every once in awhile!" Sam said as he walked back into the motel. Dean sat up slowly.

"Shit," he said, glancing at the door. Athena laughed, her eyes softer than normal. She reached down and grabbed her shirt, pulling it over her head before stepping into her underwear. Dean did the same just as Sam pushed open the door. His mouth fell open as he surveyed the scene in front of him. A messy unmade bed and a half dressed Dean and Athena.

"You... she was sleeping!" he said, unable to process what he was seeing. Dean shrugged as he pulled his jeans on, not bothering with a shirt. He pushed past Sam to move out to the kitchen.

"She woke up."

"I can see that!" Sam said, his voice slightly higher than normal as he followed his brother out. He glanced at the couch where Adriana was still asleep. "Did you..." Dean cut his brother off before he could finish his question.

"Yes Sam. We did. Is there a problem?" Dean asked, his mouth set in a cocky smirk.

"Yes. It's Drie's birthday in two days and I haven't gotten her anything yet," Sam said, swiftly changing the subject.

"Well, that's not my problem either," Dean said, opening the fridge and pulling out a beer.

"So you've got her something?" Sam asked skeptically as Dean took a sip.

"I will by the time it's her birthday," Dean retorted. The far door swung open and Athena walked out, now fully dressed. Her hair was still loose, however, and slightly tousled.

"Look, Sam, we all know you're madly in love with her, so why don't you just get a wedding ring and be done with it?" Athena suggested with a smirk. Sam groaned, glaring at her.

"I hardly think you're one to talk about love." Athena returned his glare while Dean grinned.

"Look, we can go into the nearest town tomorrow, Sammy. No need to stress," Dean said, clapping his hand on his brother's shoulder as he walked past him to sprawl out on the couch beside Adriana. He flicked on the TV and settled back into the couch, smiling at the small blonde sleeping beside him. She didn't know what was coming for her when she turned twenty-one.


	23. Birthday Plans

"Dean, don't wake her," Sam told his older brother as he glanced at the blonde who was laying on the couch where she had fallen asleep the night before.

"Why not?" Dean questioned as he took a sip of his beer. "It's almost noon, and she's still asleep. Not to mention, it's her birthday. We can't let her sleep in all day."

"We _could_," Athena told the brunette hunter as she popped a french fry into her mouth.

"Doesn't mean we should," Dean retorted as he set his beer down and began to walk over towards the couch.

"Dean, just leave her alone," Sam said.

"She only turns twenty one once. Gotta make it count," Dean stated.

"Unless she turned twenty one more than once. In which case, that wouldn't be normal and we'd have to hunt her," Athena stated.

"You've been hanging around Dean too much," Sam said rolling his eyes and Dean smirked at his brother.

"Hanging around's not exactly the word I'd use," Dean replied right before jumping onto the couch, causing the blonde to sit up and squeal.

"Dean!" She shrieked before hitting his arm, not happy that he had woken her up. "What the hell?!" Her ice blue eyes glared at him.

He laughed. "Time to get up, princess. You can't sleep the whole day away," He told her.

She only rolled her eyes and settled back down against the couch, her eyes closing once more. "I could if you'd let me."

"But we're not going to," Dean stated as he grabbed the blankets off of the girl and tossed them onto the floor. "It's your birthday today."

"Really? I hadn't known," Adriana muttered under her breath.

"Gotta make the best of it. You only turn twenty one once," Dean told her.

"Really? I thought it happened a few more times," Adriana said as she sat up and glared at him. "Go awaaaaay," She whined.

"Why so tired?" Athena asked.

"Because _you two_," She said pointing at Athena and Dean. "don't know how to be quiet."

Dean chuckled. "Sorry. We'll keep that in mind for next time," He told the blonde as she sat up and yawned before swinging her legs over the couch and standing up.

She yawned again before moving over to the small kitchen. They currently were squatting in an empty apartment on the outskirts of Chicago. Since it was an apartment they had to be more quiet and keep a lower profile, but so far they had been fine. Granted, they had only been there for two days, but a lot could go wrong in two days. The apartment was a lot bigger than the motels they were used to, and gave them two bedrooms instead of one large room with two beds. And the separate bedroom was much needed now that Dean and Athena were on the same page regarding each other's feelings.

"So what do you want to do today?" Sam asked Adriana as she hopped up onto one of the barstools at the counter.

"I dunno. Sleep sounded fine to me," Adriana stated causing Dean to chuckle as he walked into the kitchen as well.

"It's boring is what it is." The emerald-eyed hunter grabbed a fry, receiving an annoyed 'Hey' from Athena, and popped it into his mouth. "I can't believe you're really twenty one. I remember you weren't even one year old."

"Wow. You've put up with him for that long?" Athena asked the petite blonde."How have you managed?" Athena laughed as Dean gave her a small shove.

Adriana couldn't help but laugh as well. Athena had been less... uptight ever since admitting to Dean how she felt. She seemed more happy and less likely to snap at Sam or butt heads with Adriana, which was a good thing if the blonde was being honest. Athena was still her sarcastic self, she just seemed toned down a bit.

"You're twenty one now, which means you can legally drink," Dean stated, a mischievous glint in his green eyes.

"What do you have planned?" Sam asked warily as Adriana started peeling a tangerine.

"Nothing... yet," Dean replied.

"We're in Chicago," Athena drawled lazily. "I say let us watch her party it up." Adriana glared at her from the counter.

"Just because that's what you'd like to do," she returned. Surprisingly, it was Sam who spoke next.

"I think we should have a break. We've been hunting for at least two months straight. Like Dean said, Drie only _will_ turn twenty-one once." Adriana raised her eyebrow at Sam but she was wearing a smile. "As long as the two "responsible adults" don't get absolutely smashed, I'm sure we'll be fine."

The group sat around, relaxing in a late start. At some point, Athena went to take a shower while Dean went to get food. Despite the two of them being thick as thieves, Dean still wouldn't let Athena drive the Impala. Adriana stretched out on the couch, watching some horror show on T.V. and thinking about how much her life had changed. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Sam walk up behind her.

"Hey," he said and she jumped a bit, glancing up at him and smiling. "You know, for someone who hunts supernatural creatures, you sure do scare easy," he said as he sat down beside her. She laughed and shrugged.

"Can't help it!" She noticed that Sam was turning a small box over in his hands and she glanced at his face, wondering what he was doing. He didn't reply to her, staring forward. "Sammy?" she questioned and he turned to face her.

"Happy birthday, Drie," he said simply before handing her the box.

Adriana took it, curious as to what it was. She turned to it over in her own hands, similarly to what he had done, before lifting the lid. She gasped softly when she saw what was inside. It was a silver necklace on a delicate silver chain. Hanging off the bottom was the letter 'A', with diamantes lining the bottom of the elegant curve of the letter. Adriana pulled it out of the box, still utterly surprised.

"Sam... I... This is beautiful," she said quietly, holding it up slightly as the light reflected off it.

Sam smiled at her and took it gently in his fingers. He reached around her neck and sat it on the top of her chest. He did the clasp up and Adriana shivered, from contact at the back of her neck and the initial feeling of the cold metal.

"Thank you so much, Sam," she said, feeling her stomach twist in warm knots.

She knew it was her birthday but she felt like the necklace signified something more with Sam. She covered her hand with his, briefly wondering if she should kiss him. He glanced at her, his eyes questioning hers, asking the same thing. They both leant into each other but as their lips met, the front door slammed open and Dean walked in with a big grin on his face.

"Food's here!" he called out, dumping three large bags on the table before grabbing his own out.

He didn't seem to notice what Adriana and Sam had almost been doing when he walked in the door. Adriana quickly stood, her cheeks flushing slightly anyway. It wasn't as if her and Sam hadn't done worse than that while Dean walked in before, but this was different.

"What'd you get?" she asked, opening the bags and pulling out the food. The smell of fried burgers and chips filled the motel room. It was one of the most familiar scenes Adriana had ever been in and she was happy.

"Uh, the usual for you, and something extra," Dean said with a shrug, trying to make his tone sound nonchalant.

He leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table, taking a bite out of his bacon barbeque cheeseburger. Adriana raised her eyebrows before continuing to search through the bags, trying to find the 'something extra' Dean had mentioned. She squealed when she found a carton of fries with a very specific aroma. Chilli cheese fries were one of her favourite things in the world. She skipped over to Dean and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.

"You shouldn't have!" she told him with a wink, not meaning a word of it. Dean grinned back at her.

"I really shouldn't have, those things cost like $5.00 more than ordinary chips." Adriana continued to grin at him as she opened the carton, popping one of the sauce covered chips into her mouth.

"I should have birthdays more often," she said with a cheeky smile as Athena walked out, her wet hair tumbling onto her shirt.

"Oh my God, I am so hungry," she said, joining Adriana at the counter. She wrinkled her nose at Adriana's 'special' fries and continued to grab two burgers and fries out of one of the bags.

"Would you two mind saving some for me?" Sam asked as he stood and finally joined them. Athena popped another frie in her mouth.

"Nope," she told him teasingly and Sam grabbed his own food out, leaning against the counter where Adriana was sitting. Athena leaned forward to grab a drink and tilted her head slightly.

"New necklace, Drie?" she questioned innocently, but a sly tone underlay the question. Adriana glanced down, her fingers going to it automatically and a smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah," she said, glancing up at Sam briefly. Dean looked over, looking like he was about to comment before Adriana spoke.

"I just had the best idea ever!" she announced. Dean raised his eyebrows, looking highly dubious. "If you three are going to conspire against me and drag me into Chicago-"

"Which wouldn't be hard, considering you haven't gotten any taller with age," Athena interjected with a smirk. Sam half smiled and Dean chuckled as Adriana rolled her eyes and continued.

"Then we should go shopping before."

"So what you're trying to say is that 'the best idea ever' is going... shopping," Dean repeated. Sam and Athena looked as though they shared his frame of mind.

"We both need something to wear out, okay?"

"I'm fine how I am!" Athena protested, glancing down at her black tank top, messy wet hair and skinny jeans. Adriana giggled and even Sam smiled at how uncomfortable Athena looked at the prospect of going shopping.

"It was your idea to take me out; you have to pay the price," she quipped wisely and Athena groaned. She glanced across the room to appeal to Dean but he lifted his hands in a 'not my deal' sort of gesture.

"It's Princess' big day. If she wants to go shopping, _you_ are going shopping, because I sure as hell ain't."

"And who gives you the right to volunteer my services simply because you do not want to go shopping?" Athena questioned, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed in a steely glare at Dean.

But it wasn't Dean who spoke up; it was Adriana. "Because! It'll be fun to have a girl's shopping day!" She exclaimed.

Dean smirked. "That's exactly why."

Athena glared at Dean. "I hate you."

"Oh I bet you do," He stated, a cocky smirk still upon his face. "Now, hurry up and get ready to leave. Don't wanna keep Princess here waiting."

Adriana grinned, completely oblivious to how much Athena did _not_ want to go shopping with her, but she was too excited to notice. The blonde quickly ran off to get ready, not wanting to waste anymore time than she had to. Athena glared at Dean for a moment longer before moving to get ready as well. Dean simply smirked as he opened his beer while Sam sighed and rolled his eyes at his older brother before flipping on the television.

Not long after, Adriana emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed and ready to go. Athena came out behind her, not quite as bubbly or excited as the smaller girl. The blonde grinned at Dean before holding her hand out. Dean glanced at her outstretched hand before his emerald eyes flickered onto her sapphire ones.

"What?" He asked. "Do you want a high five or something?"

"Your keys," She told him, her other hand on her hip and a cocky grin she learned from him on her full lips.

"My keys?" Dean asked before realization dawned on him and he shook his head. "Oh no. You're not getting my car keys."

"Oh, come on. It was your idea to go shopping. And your car is the only car we have," Adriana told him. "Besides. I've driven it before and so has Athena."

"I trust her less than I trust you to drive it," Dean told Adriana earning a death glare from the dark-haired girl.

"So I'll drive it."

"I didn't say that," Dean said shaking his head. "No way."

"Dean. We don't have another car," Adriana told him, a small pout forming.

"Hotwire a car, you know how to do that," Dean told her. He watched as her lips formed a perfect pout and he sighed before his hands began to fish around his jean pockets before emerging with his car keys. He held it out to Adriana who reached for them, a gleeful smile on her face. He retracted them. "If you get so much as a scratch on my baby, this will be the last birthday you ever have."

Adriana nodded her head before reaching forward and snatching the keys out of his hand. "I promise I'll be careful!" She squealed happily before hugging him. "Thank you!"

"Just go. Before I change my mind," Dean groaned as Adriana grabbed Athena's wrist and practically dragged her out of the door.

"You know she's a good driver," Sam said once the girls were out the door. Dean ignored his brother's statement and instead turned towards Sam and smirked.

"That was a pretty necklace you got Drie," Dean stated. Sam shrugged uncomfortably in his seat, trying to focus on the television show. "When are you going to actually tell her how you feel?" Dean asked.

Sam glared at his brother. "Don't think that just because you and Athena finally started having sex means you can lecture me on relationships, Dean."

Dean raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. Fine. I won't. I'm just saying, she likes you and you like her so... naturally, you two should get together."

"It's not that easy, Dean," Sam said sighing.

"No. It's just not that easy because you don't want it to be. It's really simple. You just need to tell her how you feel," Dean stated.

"Yeah... maybe I will... but now's not the time," Sam said.

"Only because you don't want it to be," Dean stated once again as he turned his attention to the television and turned it up, drowning out whatever Sam's next reply was going to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I cannot believe I'm going shopping," Athena muttered under her breath as Adriana drove the '67 Chevy Impala down the road, heading towards the Chicago Mall. "And I can't believe Dean said he trusts you more than me." Adriana laughed as she drove.

"Of all the things, those are the two you choose to be upset about, Thena?" she asked as she smoothly turned off the road and slowed her speed as they entered the business area of the city. "Tell you what; if you cooperate with me, I _might _ let you drive home." Athena turned her head sharply, before shaking her head.

"Nah, it's your birthday," she said flippantly. "I really don't mind," she said in a tone that clearly displayed her want to drive the Impala. Adriana raised an eyebrow at her and Athena stared back at her neutrally.

"If you're sure," she said as she pulled into a carpark.

She parked the car and cut the engine before they both climbed out. People were milling all around, going about their everyday lives and for a moment, neither of the girls moved. They were both thinking the same thing, Athena was sure of it. If doing something mundane like clothes shopping was different, it showed just how much her life had changed since meeting the Winchesters. Adriana broke the silence.

"I figured we'd start at that shop over there," she said brightly, pointing to a brightly coloured shop just inside the mall. Athena nodded and Adriana practically bounced over there.

"Now, don't forget that we're going to a club, Thee. Suitable clothes are required," Adriana said as she pulled a bright pink stretchy dress off a rack and handed it to the brunette. Athena held it up, unable to stop an expression of shock appearing on her face.

"Drie, this is the colour of some safety vests," she said, disgust apparent in her voice. This only made Adriana giggle more as she pulled off another dress and handed it to Athena. "And this would barely go around one of my thighs."

"You wear black too much. And the length is the _point_," she said, smirking. "I didn't think you of all people would mind."

"I'm not even going to ask what that's supposed to mean," Athena commented, pulling a face at an orange dress. "By the way, I really was curious about the necklace," Athena said, half smirking, half smiling at the smaller girl. Adriana raised her eyebrows, picking up a baby pink dress made of chiffon.

"Curious about what? It's a necklace," she said, shrugging like she had earlier that day.

"If I were in court, I'd use a technical term like 'liar liar, pants on fire'," Athena responded, holding up a dark blue satin dress. Adriana studied it for a moment, leaning forward so her hair fell over her face and Athena was unable to read her emotions.

"Okay, okay!" she protested. "Sam gave it to me," she said, unable to stop the smile that appeared on her face when she said his name. Athena grinned at her smiling.

"What, he didn't give you a ring?" she asked, teasing and Adriana blushed, shaking her head.

"It's not like that, Thena! We've been best friends since we were little and he's always been there for me. It's not like that," Adriana repeated.

"Yeah, but it's not like that because you're not doing anything about it," Athena said, her usual smirk returning as she walked over to the changing rooms and pulled the curtain over the cubicle.

"Oh, because you're really a good person to be giving relationship advice," Adriana said sarcastically, but in good nature. She was unaware that Sam had said the same thing to Dean earlier that day.

"Hey, I've had relationships before!" Athena protested and Adriana raised her eyebrows.

"Let's not forget I a) went to school with you for five odd years and b) worked with you for another three. And in that time, I saw you date Adam Devine, the muso-druggie," Adriana said, giggling as she heard Athena swear. "And then there was Erik, the guy in two grades below us."

"He was attractive, okay?"

"And _then_ there was that random British backpacker that you dated for like two weeks. And now you're "with-but-not-actually-with" Dean. So, I really don't think you're qualified to give me dating advice," Adriana concluded as Athena stepped out, wearing the neon pink dress. Despite the fact the length looked very good on the leggy girl, the colour did not suit her at all and Athena had an expression like thunder. Adriana giggled at her.

"You should wear pink more often," she stated and Athena glared at her.

"I'm considering killing you right now so you never have another birthday," she replied before turning back into the changing room. "To continue our little qualification, I hardly think that Colton Jones the quarterback counts as experience," Athena said, referring to one of Adriana's ex boyfriends.

At high school, they'd been polar opposite, exactly as they remained today. Adriana had been into cheerleading and dancing and was generally liked. Athena had been smart yet sarcastic and had a few friends. Both of them were very comfortable with their respective positions in the high school hierarchy, and hadn't really known each other until they'd began working at the bar together, Adriana reflected. It was funny looking back and seeing how far they'd come since Athena had brazenly almost got Adriana cursed by the infamous Bloody Mary.

"_My point is_," Adriana began rolling her eyes. "You're hardly one to give me relationship advice purely because you finally had sex with Dean."

"That's hardly the reason. I just think you and Sam need to express your feelings to each other. Sexual tension isn't good for one's self," Athena said, her tone of voice like she was reprimanding a small child.

"And I think you should mind your own business." Adriana glanced at the girl, grimacing. "And change out of that dress. It does not work for you."

Athena rolled her eyes before stepping back into the changing room. "Just so you know, this is why I hate shopping."

"What? Trying on dresses?" Adriana asked as she examined a rack of clothes near the dressing rooms, and picking out a pale green dress with a darker green ribbon wrapped around the waist band and tied in a bow in the front.

She examined the dress for a moment longer before returning it onto the rack. A moment later, Athena stepped out of the dressing rooms, back in her normal clothes. The two girls headed out of the store a bit later, not having found anything they both liked. They found their way into a dress shop with the hopes they're options would be a bit better.

After a few minutes of shopping, Adriana found a dress that she had fallen in love with. Athena picked out a few to try on, just to amuse the blonde girl. They both made their way back to the changing rooms and entered into two separate stalls. Moments later, Adriana emerged and leaned against a wall while waiting for Athena. Few minutes later, the dark-haired beauty came out, not looking happy in the pale yellow dress she had on. Adriana giggled at her before doing a twirl in front of the mirror, loving her choice.

The dress was strapless. The top part was snow white and the bottom was of a sheer material, a dark blue color. Underneath the blue was another layer of the same material this time a teal color and the third layer was colored sky blue. The length fell a little past mid-thigh. On the waist, there was a wide, black elastic material that wrapped around as the waistband. Adriana didn't ever wear anything that was sexy looking. It was just a gift the girl had, Athena guessed. She could be adorable when she wanted, but still be unknowingly sexy.

"This is pointless. I'm not going to find a dress that I want to wear, and we're going to waste our entire day shopping, something that I would prefer not to do," Athena stated, a sigh of defeat leaving her lips.

"One more shop?" Adriana asked, twirling once more in her dress.

"Fine. One more shop. Birthday princess gets her wish," Athena said before heading back to change into her normal clothes.

Adriana and Athena both changed, and Adriana payed for the dress before they left and headed for another shop. While Athena tried on yet another dress, Adriana bought a pair of black wedged ankle boots then sat down on a round, green leather seat to wait. A few minutes later, Athena stepped out of the dressing room. Adriana glanced up at the girl before grinning. This was the dress she was making Athena buy.

It was a red dress that hugged Athena's curves tightly. It had ruffles going down the entire length of the dress. It was strapless and stopped half-way up her leg, showing off her long legs. It showed off a bit of her cleavage, but only a little. With her long legs, Athena had the sexy look down, and she knew it too. Out of all the dresses she had tried on today, this one felt the most her. She was comfortable in it, and she felt good.

"You're totally get this dress," Adriana decided as she stood up.

"What makes you say that?" Athena asked as she glanced over her shoulder at the blonde girl before looking back at herself in the mirror, but not in a vain way, just studying the dress.

"Because it looks good on you. Now, change back so we can get back to Dean and Sam before Dean has a panic attack about his car," Adriana said.

Athena changed back into normal clothes and bought the dress, along with a pair of black heels that had silver straps across the front, making the shoes look almost robotic and metallic. Overall, Adriana was excited about the outfit choices both girls had, and even Athena wasn't too upset by what she had gotten.

They pulled into the motel and Adriana tossed Athena the keys. Athena grinned at the smaller girl and made sure they were displayed clearly as they walked into the room. It was a sort of running gag between the hunters. Dean refused to let Athena drive his Impala, so whenever Sam or Adriana got the chance, they gave her the keys, just to freak him out a little. Dean glanced up when he heard the jingle of keys as Athena sauntered over to him. His mouth dropped immediately.

"Oh no, Drie, you didn't, did you?" he said very quickly, walking over to the door and snatching the keys off Athena as Adriana entered the room.

"I don't know, did I?" Adriana replied, a small smirk on her face. Once Dean had ascertained that the Impala was okay, he returned to his seat.

"It may be your birthday, Adriana Brielle, but I would not be object to killing you if you let Goddess here drive my baby," Dean told her. Sam rolled his eyes at this.

"You two were gone the _entire_ day," Sam said. "What were you doing that could have possibly needed the _entire_ day?" Athena shrugged, glad she was back to hunter normality.

"Ask your girlfriend," she said as she walked across to the shower. She figured if they were going out and Adriana had made her buy a dress, she may as well go the whole nine yards. Dean would appreciate it if no one else did.

Sam stared at Adriana after the door to the bathroom slammed shut.

"What on earth did you do to her to make her look like _that_?" Sam asked with a grin. Adriana innocently placed the three bags down on the table and walked over to the fridge. She grabbed a bottle of water and drained half in one go.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked in a light tone, teasing him.

"What I mean is Athena, for the first time in all the time I have known her, looked exhausted. And that's saying a lot," Sam said, casting a not so subtle look over at Dean. Dean was absorbed in dismantling his gun on one of the beds in the main room. Normally it was something he only did when he was upset, but if he was bored enough he would do it as well. Adriana giggled at Sam's meaning.

"Let's just say I found the most un-Athena things in the stores and made her try them on, claiming she had to because it was my birthday," Adriana told him as she walked over to the couch. The single bedroom was next door, the hunters preferring to spend time in the same place when they weren't sleeping. Sam sat at the table on his laptop.

"Stores?" Sam asked. "Did I hear a plural word in there?" Adriana grinned at him in reply, reaching up to play with the necklace without even realising her action. The necklace meant a lot to her.

"I've been thinking," Dean said, breaking the paired conversation. There were twin groans from Adriana and Sam.

"Please don't hurt yourself, Dean, you're my sober driver for tonight," Adriana informed him. Dean placed the safety and pulled it back, playfully pointing it at Adriana before setting it down.

"That's what I've been thinking about - we should get a flasher motel for the night. For our Princess." Sam gave Adriana a sideways glance.

"You know, I think he's using your birthday as an excuse to do everything he's wanted to do for a while now. You should really put an end to it with your divine power. I hate to see what he'll be like on his birthday," Sam commented as he clicked away. Adriana rolled her eyes and hopped up off the couch and walked over to the bathroom door and banged on it.

"This is a day of firsts. I didn't think it was humanly possible for Athena to spend longer than five minutes in the shower," Adriana said. "And on the one day I need to use it too!" She pouted a little, but she was only joking.

"Yeah, it's like she's allergic to water or something," Sam said with a shrug. "Where do you want to take her tonight, Dean? I see a bar called _The Captain's Daughter_ and another called _Swingers." _Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Dude. You're not seriously researching _bars_ are you?" Sam looked offended at Dean's tone before leaning over to look at the bags Adriana had dropped on the table.

"Hey!" Adriana called out, walking across the room and grabbing them. "Nuh uh, buster. You don't see them until tonight."

Sam chuckled lightly as Athena stepped out of the bathroom. It had been about half an hour since she'd gone in, but she'd changed a lot. She had curled her hair so it fell in loose waves around her face instead of her normal poker straight ebony sheet. She'd outlined her grey eyes in black and silver, to match the colour of her shoes and she was wearing foundation. The makeup highlighted her face and made her eyes stand out.

"Thena, you look..." Adriana trailed off, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing when Athena glared at her. She had been about to say pretty but the word didn't really fit the statuesque brunette. "Stunning?" Adriana offered mildly before bounding over to the shower.

"As soon as I'm ready, we can leave!" she sang out and Dean groaned, having not looked up from the magazine he was reading since Athena entered the room.

"So, we can leave in three hours?" he asked as Adriana shut the door and he glanced up. His mouth dropped open.

"Whoa," he said and Athena directed her glare onto him.

"Do not comment, Dean. I can assure you, this is a one time thing, just for Adriana," Athena said convincingly and Dean nodded slowly.

"Still, Drie was right. You look hot," Dean said.

"That's not what Drie said, Dean," Sam commented. Athena rolled her eyes and gave the brothers a rueful smile. They sat around, and finally Adriana emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to go.

Unlike Athena's soft waves, Adriana blonde locks were in tighter curls spiralling down her back. Her blue eyes were brought out with the particular colors she chose for eyeshadow. Her dress showed the perfect amount of leg for her figure, making her youthful appearance seem a little more adult but not by much. Dean hated to admit it, but the girl who had been his little sister for so long was growing up. And he wasn't ready to have to fight off guys that tried to get with her. She did a small twirl in her dress before giggling as Athena shook her head.

"Even with heels you still seem so midget," Replied the sarcastic brunette. Adriana rolled her eyes before her blue eyes twinkled.

"Let's go!" She exclaimed as she headed out the door, everyone else behind her.


	24. Love in this Club

The ride to the bar wasn't very long, only about fifteen minutes. As they stepped out of the car and headed inside, Dean made sure to stick by Athena's side, to make sure every guy who tried to get a look at her would know she was with him. He had never had been one to be overly protective, but he suddenly was realizing that Athena wasn't like the other girls he had slept with... and it wasn't just because he was stuck with her because they hunted together-although, that was part of the reason.

Adriana noticed the way Dean stood close by Athena, and the way he gave every guy who looked at her the evil glare. He might not want to admit it, but he cared for her. He had feelings, and as much as Dean Winchester hated that, it was happening, and he couldn't avoid it. She smiled. It would be good for him to finally have a relationship instead of just one-night stands. She was sick of him always sleeping around... it wasn't healthy and Dean needed something stable in his life because, as much as he said it was, family wasn't always there for you.

"So, for your first drink, what will you have?" Dean asked they sat at the bar. Adriana rolled her eyes. It wasn't like she hadn't had drinks before, they just weren't legal.

"Stop being so dramatic," Adriana told him. Dean raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm not being dramatic," He said. "I'm just asking what you would like to drink." Adriana shook her head, but gave him an answer.

"Surprise me," She stated, causing Dean to smirk. This was going to be fun.

About thirty minutes, and quite a few many shots later, things were definitely spiralling out of control. As the ever responsible one, Sam had volunteered to be the designated driver, since Dean never was, Athena wasn't allowed to drive Dean's car and Adriana was the whole reason they were at the bar. And now watching the group, he realized he would have to do more than just be the designated driver; he end up having to babysit them. Well, he'd have to babysit Adriana. Dean had been drinking for so long, it almost seemed the alcohol didn't affect him. And Athena seemed to have a handle on her liquor as well. However, Adriana was not quite the same.

Sam had only seen her with alcohol one time before, and she had only been a little tipsy. Now, she was completely drunk, and she was definitely the flirty, need-attention kind of drunk. Sam sighed. Yep, definitely babysitting and making sure she didn't go off with random guys. Because she would definitely regret that in the morning.

Just as he was thinking about having one drink, to get help make it through the long night it was going to be, he caught sight of Adriana's blonde curls bouncing towards him. He straightened up, trying not to show how tired he was. He wanted her to have a good time, and knew she wouldn't if he seemed tired or like he just wanted to go home. He smiled as she stopped in front of him, her hands resting on the top of his legs. She grinned widely, her blue eyes flashing. Some of her curls were sticking to her neck with sweat from dancing a few minutes prior.

"Come dance with me, Sam," She said as she placed her hand in his and tried to pull him up. Even if she hadn't been drunk, she wouldn't have been able to move him.

"I think you've been dancing enough," Sam told her, a light tone in his voice. "You need to sit down," He added, but she shook her head.

"Come on! Dance!" She said. When drunk, she tended to take on a very child-like demeanor about her, her words sounding like something a toddler would say.

"Come on, Sammy," Dean said from beside the two, his arm around Athena's waist as she stood beside the barstool he was sitting in. "Go dance with her. Give the birthday princess what she wants," He told his little brother.

"Drie, I think you need to sit down," Sam said, ignoring his brother. Adriana pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Come on, Sammy. One dance... it'll be fun," She bit her lip in a seductive manner, her hands slowly sliding up his legs. Sam's eyes widened in surprise before grabbing her hands in his and stopping their path.

"Uh, Drie? I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Sam said, blocking out Dean's chuckles. He liked Adriana, he liked her a lot but he didn't want her to do something she didn't mean in an intoxicated state. He gently moved her hands back towards her as she rolled her eyes and pulled away from him herself.

"Sam, you need to get that stick out of your ass," she said in a very put out tone before whirling away from him and into the crowd. Sam sighed as he watched her go. Adriana was a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

Athena had to admit, she rather enjoyed having Dean's arm wrapped around her waist as she swayed slightly to the music. Her whole persona from high school, not being much of a party girl had stuck with her and she was content to drink and watch the adventures of Adriana Tanner unfold in front of her. She had to admit, it was good for Adriana to have some teenage fun. Athena could feel the effects of the hunter's life wearing her down, case by case and she had only been doing it for six months. Before this, Adriana had been doing it for years and she was younger than Athena. To go out and drink and party was exactly what the young girl needed.

Athena continued to watch as the pretty blonde sidled up to a cute male dancing in the middle of the crowd. For someone who Athena put down to be innocent and inexperienced, she managed to grind up a storm in the middle of the crowd as they parted slightly around Adriana and the guy. Her floaty dress lifted around her small body as she danced, exposing a fair amount of flesh. Combined with the black heels she was wearing, it made her look more sexy than her normal cute style. Athena glanced at Dean when the thought crossed her mind.

Surprisingly, the older Winchester hadn't been as protective of the small blonde as Athena had expected him to be. Then again, Dean was the one who was always encouraging Adriana to be led astray and he had got his wish tonight. On the other hand, Sam was looking remarkably tense as the dark haired guy who Drie had managed to wrap herself around slipped a hand to the small of her back. For a moment, Athena felt sorry for him before she realized that he had his chance and let it slip through his fingers.

"Sammy, do you want another drink?" Athena turned slightly when Dean spoke to his younger brother and rolled her eyes as Sam shook his head somewhat forlornly.

"You ever think of taking Drie's advice?" Athena muttered. Sam was just about to respond when Adriana stumbled over to the bar. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was even curlier than usual. Around her waist was the guy from the dance floor's arm.

"Hey," she said breathlessly, a grin crossing her face. "This is Hunter. He's a builder. He's also a really good kisser," she told them, directing a not-so-subtle wink at Athena. Clearly, the alcohol had taken away Adriana's filter and all of her words tumbled out in one big mess. "He has a funny name, right?" Adriana told them with a little giggle. It was only then that Dean tensed slightly against Athena and glanced over at his brother. What might Adriana be liable to say in the state she was in.

"It's nice to meet you all," Hunter replied, extending his hand to the group. However, it was clear that he was anxious to leave. Whether that was to leave their company or the bar itself, it wasn't clear but the way he had his arm around Adriana made it obvious he wanted her with him.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Athena asked, wanting to make him relax especially if he was going to be around Adriana. He regarded her for a moment before nodding and Athena grabbed a bottle off a waiter. The gesture meant a lot to Adriana who said her thanks through her eyes. Hunter stayed mostly quiet as he began to drink his beer.

"So, seeing as all of you are being boring, especially _you,"_and at this, Adriana leaned over and poked Sam in the chest, "I thought I might take off with Hunter for the night." She used a casual tone but her eyes sparkled. Clearly she was happy to have found someone to give her the attention she craved while drunk. Athena half smiled at it; it was exactly the sort of behavior she had expected from her and she didn't begrudge her it one bit.

"Do you really think that's a good-" Before Sam could finish speaking, Adriana shot daggers at him.

She was having fun tonight. She didn't want Sam to ruin it with his sensibilities for once. Out on the dance floor, she had felt wild and free, not constrained by what she did which was how she normally felt. Hunter seemed nice and genuine enough and the alcohol had rushed to her head and clouded her judgement. She wasn't really thinking of the consequences of what leaning up to kiss him would mean and what the expectations would be later. To her, it had sounded like a good idea when he had suggested that they go back to his place for a few quieter drinks.

"That's exactly what you said before, Sam. You are no fun. You need to loosen up. All I'm doing is going to have a couple more drinks with a friend elsewhere," she informed him. Her words slurred over each other slightly but it was obvious she still knew exactly what she was saying. Sam narrowed his eyes.

"He's hardly a _friend_, Drie, you only just met him and I use that in the loosest term." Sam's words were said in a tone to match Adriana's, uncaring that Hunter was standing right there. Adriana seemed to understand what he implied instantly and her eyes narrowed even more.

"Easy Sammy," Dean muttered before he turned to Adriana. "Are you really sure this is what you want to do?" he asked her in a low voice and she nodded.

"Don't worry Dean, I'm safe. I know how to handle myself." What was left unsaid was clear between the other hunters: Drie had handled much worse than a drunken out of control guy in her lifetime. Her words seemed enough to convince Dean.

"Alright. We'll see you in the morning, then?" he asked and Adriana nodded excitedly.

"Thank you for tonight!" she said.

"It truly was nice to meet you all. I'll have her returned home safely in the morning," Hunter offered as he placed his nearly-empty beer on the counter beside Dean. Dean gave him a tight smile and Sam just ignored his existence. Dean watched as Adriana and Hunter flitted across the bar before disappearing outside. The moment they were gone, Sam turned on Dean.

"I can't believe you just let her go, Dean!" he said, his voice angry and louder than usual. This hardly mattered for the music in the club but it portrayed his attitude. Dean regarded Sam for a moment before shaking his head.

"Sam, if you had of stopped her, it woulda made you a hypocrite. You left the hunting lifestyle for this exact sort of thing; frat parties and girlfriends and getting drunk. You can hardly begrudge a 21-year-old girl the exact same things. And you know that Drie was right - she can handle herself." Dean honestly wouldn't have let Adriana go if it wasn't for all of those things. Sam wanted to believe that Dean was utterly right but he was still worried for Adriana.

"She can handle herself when she's equipped and completely _sober_, Dean! And what if she lets something slip about what we do and that guy knows something?" Sam pressed. At this point, Athena rolled her eyes.

"Both of you, break it up. Sam, Drie's going to be just fine. Just leave her be. You had your chance." Sam looked like he was going to reply but Athena's last comment saw his mouth close firmly. "Now, I'm actually kinda hungry. Are either of you?" she asked as she turned back across the bar to look for a menu. As she did, she wrinkled her nose when it caught a smell but didn't recognize it.

"Eugh. Gross. You coulda picked a better bar Dean," she commented teasingly and he raised an eyebrow in query. "I can smell something gross."

"Well, that's to be expected, Thene. There are about fifty sweaty bodies pressed together out there. Sweaty drunken bodies, I should say," Dean told her, gesturing to the crowd. Athena rolled her eyes, as was her favorite pastime.

"Yeah, I suppose I am kinda hungry," Dean conceded as he turned and repeated the actions that Athena did to look for a bar menu. As he did so, he froze. He glanced along the counter, looking for any personnel in close range before he deliberately sniffed.

"See, I told you it's not just me," Athena teased once again when she noticed what he was doing. But Dean didn't react in the way she expected him to. He picked up the bottle that Hunter had been drinking from and sniffed it cautiously. When he did so, his eyes widened and he sat up.

"Sammy," he said urgently and the other hunter turned to face Dean sullenly. "What does this smell like to you?" he asked, holding the bottle up to Sam's nose. Sam looked perplexed for a moment before sniffing and his body tensed up instantly.

"It smells like-"

"Sulfur, you're right," Dean said, cutting across him before he could finish.

"But that's-" Sam's eyes widened and darted across the room, looking for Adriana but she had disappeared about ten minutes ago. "That's Hunter's bottle," he finished as Dean reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small flask of holy water. He poured it over the rim of the bottle and into it. Instantly, steam began to hiss out of it.

Athena, as the least experienced hunter, was unable to instantly associate demons with sulfur. Despite her learning about some of the creatures they had yet to encounter, including demons, she just hadn't had enough experience with them. But now the holy water had proved that Hunter had been not a human or a horny male looking to take advantage of a young girl as Sam had suspected, but he was a demon. And now, an extremely vulnerable Adriana was in his company.

"Let's go," Sam said instantly, and Dean slammed his own bottle down beside the contaminated one as they raced out of the bar.


End file.
